Dictionary

bit by bit en · ADV

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From bit + by + bit. Compare West Frisian bytsje by bytsje (“bit by bit”), Dutch beetje bij beetje (“bit by bit”).

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, not-comparable) A small amount at a time.
   • Because language is produced and processed over time, we get it bit by bit. 2025, Edward A. F. Gibson, “Preliminaries: Components of Language Structure” (chapter 2), in Syntax: A Cognitive Approach, MIT Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 23:
   • Storm Charlie had raged throught [sic] the night and was unleashing further gusts on the morning that RAIL was due to inspect a vegetation management project in Kent. Bit by bit, the train timetable unravelled. A trip beginning at Bradford-on-Avon belatedly reached Bath, but that turned out to be journey's end. 2020 June 3, Andrew Mourant, “A safer railway in a greener habitat”, in Rail, page 58:
   • There’s a sick comfort in reciting this litany of defects. Maybe I sensed them at the time but I never put them into words. Now that I suspect he’s a cunt, however, I’m hauling them out and examining them in the pitiless light of day. This happens at the end of every relationship, I’ve found, but in this particular case I have an even more urgent need to destroy my lover’s loveableness, bit by bit, until it’s entirely gone. 2015, Deborah Moggach, “Oreya, West Africa”, in Something to Hide, London: Chatto & Windus, →ISBN, part 2, page 180:

Synonyms

stepwise · incrementally · step by step · piece by piece · gradatim · footmeal · little by little

Translations (91)

ro puțin câte puțin (a small amount at a time) · nb pø om pø (a small amount at a time) · sv efterhand (a small amount at a time) · gd beag air bheag (a small amount at a time) · de allmählich peu à peu (a small amount at a time) · fi vähitellen (a small amount at a time) · no pø om pø (a small amount at a time) · yue 漸漸 /渐渐 (a small amount at a time) · sv lite i taget (a small amount at a time) · kne at-iat-ik (a small amount at a time) · fr petit à petit (a small amount at a time) · fr peu à peu (a small amount at a time) · eu pixkana-pixkana (a small amount at a time) · sv bit för bit (a small amount at a time) · it a poco a poco (a small amount at a time) · pt pouco a pouco (a small amount at a time) · nl beetje bij beetje (a small amount at a time) · uk потро́ху (a small amount at a time) · mi turuki (a small amount at a time) · de Stück für Stück (a small amount at a time) · fo smátt um smátt (a small amount at a time) · ru ма́ло-пома́лу (a small amount at a time) · fo pø á pø (a small amount at a time) · pt de pouco em pouco (a small amount at a time) · cy bob yn dipyn (a small amount at a time) · fo so við og við (a small amount at a time) · cmn 逐漸 /逐渐 (a small amount at a time) · es poco a poco (a small amount at a time) · la pauxillātim (a small amount at a time) · he מעט מעט (a small amount at a time) · mk малце по малце (a small amount at a time) · hy կամաց-կամաց (a small amount at a time) · gd ceum is ceum (a small amount at a time) · fi vähän kerrassaan (a small amount at a time) · pdt bessawiess (a small amount at a time) · es a poquitos (a small amount at a time) · hu apránként (a small amount at a time) · pl po trochu (a small amount at a time) · nb litt etter hvert (a small amount at a time) · tr az az (a small amount at a time) · ka ნელ-ნელა (a small amount at a time) · cy fesul tipyn (a small amount at a time) · fi vähä vähältä (a small amount at a time) · fi pala palalta (a small amount at a time) · fi hiljalleen (a small amount at a time) · ga ó ghiota go giota (a small amount at a time) · nn litt etter kvart (a small amount at a time) · da lidt efter lidt (a small amount at a time) · nb litt etter litt (a small amount at a time) · km បន្តិចម្ដង ៗ (a small amount at a time) · eo iom post iom (a small amount at a time) · ka ცოტ-ცოტა (a small amount at a time) · gl aos poucos (a small amount at a time) · nn litt etter litt (a small amount at a time) · wa pitchote a midjote (a small amount at a time) · oc pauc a pauc (a small amount at a time) · la tractim (a small amount at a time) · fa کمکم (a small amount at a time) · mk малку по малку (a small amount at a time) · tl paunti-unti (a small amount at a time) · ast a poco a poco (a small amount at a time) · ja 追々 (a small amount at a time) · la paulātim (a small amount at a time) · pt aos poucos (a small amount at a time) · gl pouco a pouco (a small amount at a time) · hu lassanként (a small amount at a time) · gl pouco e pouco (a small amount at a time) · gd mean air mhean (a small amount at a time) · lb no an no (a small amount at a time) · de nach und nach (a small amount at a time) · sv pö om pö (a small amount at a time) · ru понемно́гу (a small amount at a time) · cy bob yn ronyn (a small amount at a time) · yi שטיקלעכווײַז (a small amount at a time) · ckb نەختە نەختە (a small amount at a time) · cmn 漸漸 /渐渐 (a small amount at a time) · ru постепе́нно (a small amount at a time) · afb شوي شوي (a small amount at a time) · it man mano (a small amount at a time) · fi pikkuhiljaa (a small amount at a time) · da peu à peu pø om pø (a small amount at a time) · ext pocu a pocu (a small amount at a time) · ko 야금야금 (a small amount at a time) · pl krok po kroku (a small amount at a time) · vi dần dần (a small amount at a time) · tr azar azar (a small amount at a time) · yue 逐漸 /逐渐 (a small amount at a time) · ja 少しずつ (a small amount at a time) · ckb کەم کەم (a small amount at a time) · nv tąądee (a small amount at a time) · ca a poc a poc (a small amount at a time)