slowly but surely

idiom

: by making slow but definite progress
used to stress that something is happening or being done even though it is not happening or being done quickly
We're getting the work done, slowly but surely.

Examples of slowly but surely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Make the jump to cigarette jeans, also known (less charmingly) as stovepipe or boyfriend jeans, which are slowly but surely creeping into the fashion ecosystem. Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2026 The thirst for French bubbly is slowly but surely waning. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2026 And then, slowly but surely, the pattern repeated itself. Chris Nashawaty, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026 Yet fortunes have turned more recently, with on-field inadequacies slowly but surely eating into off-field resources. Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slowly but surely

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slowly but surely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slowly%20but%20surely. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!