Phrase guide

one by one

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adv

Meaning 1

Individually in succession.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The passengers escaped through the hatch one by one.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: one at a time, one after the other

Antonyms: none provided

2

adverb

Meaning 2

one piece at a time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she sold the plates by the piece

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: by the piece

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

apart from others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • taken individually, the rooms were, in fact, square
  • the fine points are treated singly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: individually, separately, singly, severally, on an individual basis

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

in single file

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the prisoners came out one by one

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: one after another, one at a time

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بِالتَّرْتِيب (bi-t-tartīb) — individually
  • Arabic: فَرْدًا فَرْدًا (fardan fardan) — individually
  • Azerbaijani: bir-bir — individually
  • Bulgarian: един по един (edin po edin) — individually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 逐一 (zhúyī) — individually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 逐個 /逐个 (zhúgè) — individually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 挨次 (āicì) — individually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 紛紛 /纷纷 (fēnfēn) — individually
  • Chinese Mandarin: 依次 (yīcì) — individually
  • Dutch: een voor een — individually
  • Finnish: yksitellen — individually
  • French: un par un — individually
  • French: un à un — individually
  • German: der Reihe nach — individually
  • German: einer nach dem anderen — individually
  • German: eine nach dem anderen — individually
  • German: eins nach dem anderen — individually
  • German: eines nach dem anderen — individually
  • German: nacheinander — individually
  • German: Stück für Stück — individually
  • Hindi: एक एक करके (ek ek karake) — individually
  • Hungarian: egyik a másik után — individually
  • Hungarian: egytől egyig — individually
  • Hungarian: egyenként — individually
  • Irish: as éadan a chéile — individually
  • Italian: uno per uno — individually
  • Japanese: 一つずつ (hitotsuzutsu) — individually
  • Central Kurdish: یەکە یەکە (yeke yeke) — individually
  • Central Kurdish: یەک ب یەک (yek bi yek) — individually
  • Northern Kurdish: yek bi yek — individually
  • Northern Kurdish: yeko yeko — individually
  • Latin: singillātim — individually
  • Persian: یکی یکی (yeki yeki) — individually
  • Persian: یکبهیک (yek-be-yek) — individually
  • Polish: jeden po drugim — individually
  • Polish: jeden za drugim — individually
  • Portuguese: um por um — individually
  • Russian: оди́н за други́м (odín za drugím) — individually
  • Russian: по одному́ (po odnomú) — individually
  • Scottish Gaelic: fear mu seach — individually
  • Scottish Gaelic: tè mu seach — individually
  • Serbo-Croatian: један по један — individually
  • Serbo-Croatian: jedan po jedan — individually
  • Spanish: uno por uno — individually
  • Sranan Tongo: wan fru wan — individually
  • Swedish: den ena efter den andra — individually
  • Swedish: en efter en — individually
  • Swedish: en och en — individually
  • Tajik: яктогӣ (yaktogi) — individually
  • Tajik: якто-якто (yakto-yakto) — individually
  • Tajik: як-як (yak-yak) — individually
  • Telugu: ఒకటొకటిగా (okaṭokaṭigā) — individually
  • Tocharian B: somo-somo — individually
  • Turkish: birer birer — individually
  • Turkish: teker teker — individually
  • Vietnamese: lần lượt — individually
  • Yiddish: איינציקווײַז (eyntsikvayz) — individually