one by one

phrase

: separately in a series : one at a time : first one and then another one, etc.
I solved the problems one by one.
The performers took the stage one by one.

Examples of one by one in a Sentence

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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.
Beanie took them in her mouth and carried them one by one up the ramp to where Lyndon Johnson crouched in a tunnel. — Madeline Ffitch, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026 According to a case report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the doctors gave the man a topical treatment to numb his eyes and then began plucking out the worms one by one with fine forceps. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026 The result is the list of about 2,350 genetic switches that may help explain the dodo’s unusual beak, which the team is now testing one by one. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 14 Oct. 2026 When Hasabo Ibrahim first arrived in Colorado in 1998, finding halal food often meant navigating mainstream grocery stores and carefully checking products one by one. — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for one by one

Rhymes for one by one

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Browse Nearby Words

one-berry
one by one
one can't argue with
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Cite this Entry

“One by one.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one%20by%20one. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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