idiomslowlyandcarefully, doing just a little at atime:Hewantedtorushthrough thejob, but Iencouragedhim to take it onestepat atime.(Definition ofone step at a timefrom theCambridge Academic Content Dictionary? Cambridge University Press)
Examplesofone step at a time
one step at a timeIt is no longer necessary to ask what the distant scene might be :onestepatatimeis enough.From theCambridge English CorpusIt is quite right, of course, to takeonestepatatime.From theCambridge English CorpusOne thing led to another,onestepatatime, with each music-related essay seeming to be a last gasp.From theCambridge English CorpusThe method applied in analysing the data was to proceedonestepatatime, from meanings through to meaning structures, and eventually to the relationships between those meaning structures.From theCambridge English CorpusThe imperative verb, because it is a clausal head, is argued to moveonestepatatimethrough the clause, up to this high position.From theCambridge English CorpusWe are of course takingonestepatatimein that diplomatic effort.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0Onestepatatime, when 5 million workers will be left without any protection whatsoever as regards conditions in which they are employed!From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0And now, after 50 years, we are told to takeonestepatatime!From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0There must beonestepatatime.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0It is desirable to takeonestepatatime.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0But my message is that we should take these mattersonestepatatime.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0I have learnt the hard way through experience that progress can only be made slowly,onestepatatime.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0Perhaps we should proceedonestepatatimein these matters.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0The second is the acceptance of limited objectives,onestepatatime.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0We on these benches cannot expect more thanonestepatatimefrom those who occupy the benches opposite.From theHansard archiveExample from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.#https://dictionary.cambridge.org//dictionary/english/one-step-at-a-time##
