The phrase “at a time” means during any one period or in each instance. Here are some examples and explanations:
- I can only do one thing at a time. This means I cannot multitask or focus on more than one task in each moment.
- She reads two books at a time. This means she reads two books simultaneously or alternately in each period.
- He travels for six months at a time. This means he travels for six months in each instance or cycle.
Here are the results of a search in the iWeb corpus for plural time nouns + at a time:
_NNT2 at a time
1 HOURS AT A TIME 9547
2 MONTHS AT A TIME 6812
3 MINUTES AT A TIME 6687
4 WEEKS AT A TIME 5982
5 DAYS AT A TIME 5428
6 SECONDS AT A TIME 2272
7 YEARS AT A TIME 2007
8 MINS AT A TIME 168
9 DECADES AT A TIME 116
10 NIGHTS AT A TIME 111
_MC _N at a time
1 ONE STEP AT A TIME 8277
The idiom “take it one step at a time” means to break down a task or goal into smaller, more manageable steps. It is a reminder to not get overwhelmed by the big picture, but to focus on the next immediate step. This can be helpful when facing a difficult or challenging situation, or when simply trying to get something done. For example:
Well, why don’t we take it one step at a time
2 ONE DAY AT A TIME 7083
3 ONE THING AT A TIME 4660
4 ONE PERSON AT A TIME 2584
5 ONE PIECE AT A TIME 1475
6 ONE GAME AT A TIME 1326
7 ONE SIDE AT A TIME 962
8 ONE TASK AT A TIME 914
9 ONE ITEM AT A TIME 864
10 ONE LEG AT A TIME 844
11 ONE LINE AT A TIME 802
12 ONE SECTION AT A TIME 792
13 ONE PAGE AT A TIME 749
14 ONE ROOM AT A TIME 746
15 20 MINUTES AT A TIME 687
16 1 TABLESPOON AT A TIME 685
17 ONE PROJECT AT A TIME 641
18 ONE CUP AT A TIME 624
19 10 MINUTES AT A TIME 573
20 30 MINUTES AT A TIME 569
21 ONE LAYER AT A TIME 564
22 ONE COURSE AT A TIME 562
23 ONE DEVICE AT A TIME 559
24 15 MINUTES AT A TIME 558
up to fifteen minutes at a time.
25 ONE WORD AT A TIME 533
26 ONE BITE AT A TIME 529
27 ONE YEAR AT A TIME 520
28 ONE TABLESPOON AT A TIME 498
29 ONE WEEK AT A TIME 479
30 ONE FILE AT A TIME 477
31 ONE CARD AT A TIME 466
32 30 SECONDS AT A TIME 462
33 ONE CHARACTER AT A TIME 459
34 ONE LETTER AT A TIME 457
35 ONE MONTH AT A TIME 453
36 ONE NOTE AT A TIME 453
37 TWO WEEKS AT A TIME 447
38 ONE ROW AT A TIME 440
39 ONE STUDENT AT A TIME 433
40 ONE CHILD AT A TIME 432
41 ONE CLASS AT A TIME 413
42 ONE AREA AT A TIME 397
43 ONE FRAME AT A TIME 385
44 ONE ARM AT A TIME 363
45 ONE VARIABLE AT A TIME 356
46 TWO HOURS AT A TIME 347
47 ONE DROP AT A TIME 344
48 ONE QUESTION AT A TIME 338
49 SIX MONTHS AT A TIME 329
50 1 CUP AT A TIME 321
51 ONE BOOK AT A TIME 308
52 THREE MONTHS AT A TIME 306
53 ONE COLOR AT A TIME 305
54 ONE PART AT A TIME 304
55 ONE CUSTOMER AT A TIME 296
56 ONE ELEMENT AT A TIME 295
57 ONE BLOCK AT A TIME 294
58 ONE FOOT AT A TIME 287
59 ONE PATIENT AT A TIME 285
60 ONE EGG AT A TIME 284
61 ONE PROBLEM AT A TIME 284
62 FIVE MINUTES AT A TIME 267
63 ONE CLIENT AT A TIME 266
64 ONE USER AT A TIME 264
65 ONE PLACE AT A TIME 257
66 ONE SONG AT A TIME 257
67 ONE SHEET AT A TIME 254
68 ONE IMAGE AT A TIME 250
69 5 MINUTES AT A TIME 245
70 FOUR HOURS AT A TIME 239
71 THREE HOURS AT A TIME 237
72 ONE MEAL AT A TIME 236
73 ONE GROUP AT A TIME 233
74 10 SECONDS AT A TIME 231
75 ONE JOB AT A TIME 229
76 ONE TRACK AT A TIME 229
77 12 HOURS AT A TIME 225
78 ONE BYTE AT A TIME 225
79 THREE WEEKS AT A TIME 225
80 ONE COMPUTER AT A TIME 224
81 4 HOURS AT A TIME 222
82 ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME 222
83 ONE ISSUE AT A TIME 221
84 ONE HOUR AT A TIME 220
85 2 HOURS AT A TIME 218
86 ONE HAND AT A TIME 216
87 ONE CHANGE AT A TIME 213
88 24 HOURS AT A TIME 210
89 ONE CHAPTER AT A TIME 210
90 ONE PRODUCT AT A TIME 209
91 ONE LEVEL AT A TIME 207
92 ONE FAMILY AT A TIME 205
93 6 MONTHS AT A TIME 203
94 ONE DIRECTION AT A TIME 202
95 ONE EYE AT A TIME 200
96 ONE PIXEL AT A TIME 198
97 THREE DAYS AT A TIME 196
98 ONE BRICK AT A TIME 193
99 2 WEEKS AT A TIME 191
100 ONE MOMENT AT A TIME 189