Meanings
prepositional phrase
- Very gradually; by small degrees.
to die by inches
1 more example
to kill by inches
Synonyms: little by little
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseVery gradually; by small degrees.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
adverbby a short distance
Similar
little by littleby small degrees
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Esperanto iom post iom, je coloj
- iom post iomTranslations
- je colojTranslations
Finnish pikkuhiljaa
- pikkuhiljaaTranslations
French à petit feu
- à petit feuTranslations
Cite this entry
APA
by inches. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20inches
MLA
“by inches.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20inches. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “by inches,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/by%20inches.
Source: by inches on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.