inch by inch
Little by little
Inch by inch means progressing in tiny increments, emphasizing slowness and painstaking effort.
The phrase suggests gradual advancement requiring patience or persistence: Inch by inch, they cleared the debris from the collapsed building.
It can describe physical movement or figurative progress: She's gaining his trust inch by inch.
- bit by bitIn small increments
- little by littleIn small increments
- graduallyIn slow stages
- slow and steadyGradual but consistent
- creepStealthy, slow movement
inchmeal · step by step · push · slowly but surely · step-by-step · day by day · slide · persistence · crawl · tooth and nail · gaining ground · forward progress · hard-won · resilience · grit · piece by piece · patience · the long haul
- motion idiomsin motion, on the move, on the go, move forward, move along
- measurement idiomswhole nine yards, by a mile, go the extra mile, foot in the door, pound of flesh
- progressprogress, in progress, promotion, raise, making progress
- gradual phrasesbit by bit, little by little, step by step, one by one, piece by piece
- perseverancepersist, never give up, tenacity, hang in there, endurance
- detailsdetail, particular, specific, fact, point
inch by inchrapidly
At high velocity
in a flash · swiftly · quickly · in the blink of an eye · speedily
inch by inchall at once
Occurring without gradual buildup
wholesale · in its entirety · lock stock and barrel · all together · in one go
pinch, inch, pinched, pinching, inches, mincing, minced, pinches, winch