little by little

little by little

In small increments over time; by gradual degrees. Little by little, we managed to scrape together enough savings for a deposit on a house. The project is moving ahead little by little.
See also: by, little
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

little by little

gradually, a little bit at a time. I earned enough money, little by little, to buy a car. Jimmy crawled, little by little, until he reached the door.
See also: by, little
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

ˌlittle by ˈlittle

slowly; gradually: Her English is improving little by little. Little by little she began to feel better.
See also: by, little
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

little by little

By small degrees or increments; gradually.
See also: by, little
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • think little of
  • think little of (someone or something)
  • financially embarrassed
  • standing on (one's) head
  • standing on one's head
  • with (one's) eyes closed
  • with (one's) eyes shut
  • with eyes closed
  • with your eyes shut
  • with your eyes shut/closed
References in periodicals archive
Little by little the battle against skepticism is going forward.
The cost killer cometh: celebrity CEO Carlos Ghosn on his MO, the China challenge and his delicate future
Though injury rates are falling little by little, accidents in plastics plants remain well above the average for all U.S.
Not safe enough
"If the culture of fire continues, we are killing ourselves little by little," says Jose Romero, a Honduran environmentalist.
Culture of Fire
If a massive planet forms wholesale from the disk, rather than little by little, it may end up with an oval orbit (SN: 8/8/98, p.
Solar system planets: Freaks of nature?
Popular English religious writer and author of a sentimental novel of school life, Eric; or, Little by Little (1858).
Farrar, Frederic William
* If not used to the heat, get accustomed to it slowly by exposing yourself to it briefly at first and increasing the time little by little.
Hyperthermia: a hot weather hazard for older people
The measure cannot be implemented all at once but little by little the desired results can be achieved.
Unhealthy food
But, little by little, I'm integrating more, adapting with my team-mates and the team and that's the most important thing.
Pedro admits he is struggling in England
Add the eggs little by little, beating well all the time.
SOAKED LEMON CAKE
Little by little I feel like IeIUm getting better every day.eIuI feel the shots a lot better than I did at the beginning of the tournament.
Jankovic reveals Grand plan
ONCE upon a time Barry had so much going for it, no wit is just another town, little by little the character of the town is being strangled.
I do like to be beside the seaside but I fear for Barry
"He had such personality and energy which he brought to the group and sadly those players are disappearing little by little."
IN BRIEF: Keen on Keane; SPURS v S'LAND 3pm
Little by little, each of the children discovers an area to develop and sees future possibilities.
Theater Shoes
Little by little, she lights the stage with candles.
Julia Varley: helping women to find their voice: actress Julia Varley uses theatre to empower. She talks to Andrea Cabrera Luna