day by day
43
1.6
- idiom
:
día a día
- I mean, we're taking it day by day.
- become day by day
They're you know, they're living day by day and they'll kill you over colour.
- They're you know, they're living day by day and they'll kill you over colour.
- But you're moving your life forward day by day, little by little.
- I feel like I am just growing day by day, spiritually, mentally.
- And Lincoln is learning this as he goes day by day, night by night.
- I think she's trying to live day by day.
- Everything that I'm talking about in this video is possible, and day by day it will get easier.
- But again, they were shifting the timing of this sleep day by day.
- You just go on day by day being and dealing with what you have to deal with.
- Know what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how you're doing it, Day by day, moment by moment.
- It's like when you're homeless, you're just living day by day.
- When you go beyond that, you can't predict day by day, year by year because of so much complexity.
- So don't focus so hard on it and just take it day by day.
- It's like you just go hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.
- Theodore, take it day by day.
- Ultimately, I watched him go through that journey step by step, day by day.
- It's not going to be one week or two weeks and it's day by day.
Examples
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Let's take it day by day... for as long as we can go.
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Now, day by day, he writes every day to his mother.
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It's like you just go hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year.
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So we're just living day by day at the moment, trying to help each other out.
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You have to take it day by day.
Academic text (2009) -
You just go on day by day being and dealing with what you have to deal with.
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But you're moving your life forward day by day, little by little.
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I feel like I am just growing day by day, spiritually, mentally.
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The destroyers had sent them to ruin this world, and day by day they were doing it.
Academic text (2008) -
I'm learning new things day by day as I continue my studies.
Synonyms
273
1.9
Slowly and steadily over time
35
4.1
It happens more and more over time
34
2.3
Gradually in small amounts over time
23
1.8
In a gradual way, doing each part one after another
12
2.7
A little at a time
7
3.7
Move forward slowly in very small steps
4
2.5
Happening or changing every day
Happens slowly, a little at a time
How Gradual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: repeating 'day' with the preposition 'by' signals 'one day after another' or 'each day', so a learner who knows 'day' and the basic use of 'by' can infer 'gradually, as time passes'. This repetitive construction has clear cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'día a día', French 'jour après jour') and follows standard English patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase day by day comes from the simple image of watching time one day at a time, like marking each day on a calendar and seeing small changes build up. So it means 'gradually' or 'with each passing day'.