by

1 of 5

preposition

ˈbī

before consonants also bə

: in proximity to : near

standing by the window

: into the vicinity of and beyond : past

went right by him

: through or through the medium (see medium entry 1 sense 2) of : via

enter by the door

: in the direction of : toward

sailed north by east

: during the course of

studied by night

: not later than

be there by 2 p.m.

: through the agency (see agency sense 3) or instrumentality of

a poem written by Keats

death by firing squad

taken by force

happened by luck

: born or begot of

had two sons by his first wife

one child by her second husband

: sired or borne by

having foals by champion race horses

: with the witness or sanction (see sanction entry 1 sense 4c) of

swear by all that is holy

: in conformity with

acted by the rules

: according to

called her by name

sold by the pound

—used as a function word in multiplication, in division, and in measurements

divide a by bmultiply 10 by 4a room 15 feet by 20 feet

: with respect to

a lawyer by profession

: on behalf of

did right by his children

: in or to the amount or extent of

win by a nose

chiefly Scotland : in comparison with : beside

—used as a function word to indicate successive units or increments

little by littlewalk two by two

: in the opinion of : from the point of view of

OK by me

2 of 5

adverb

ˈbī

: past

saw him go by

: at or to another's home

stop by

: close at hand : near

lives close by

: aside, away

3 of 5

noun

ˈbī

variants or bye

plural byes ˈbīz How to pronounce by (audio)

: something of secondary importance : a side issue

by the by

4 of 5

adjective

ˈbī

variants or bye

: being off the main route : side

a by passage

: incidental

by effects

5 of 5

interjection

ˈbī

variants or bye

—used to express farewell

—often used with following now

Example Sentences

Preposition His wife was sitting by him. They have a house by the lake. The bus went right by him without stopping. Some friends stopped by our house for a chat. Why don't you come by my place later? Adverb The bus went right by without stopping. We stood and applauded as the parade went by. Why don't you come by later? See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Preposition

Alexander is joined by Speights, Syracuse cornerback Duce Chestnut and others in remaking the Tigers' back seven. —

Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2023 Social Security and Medicare are both primarily funded by payroll taxes, which are collected from a levy on both employees and employers. —

Jeff Stein, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Feb. 2023 Analysts noted President Biden did not mention Afghanistan or the threat posed by ISIS or al Qaeda in his State of the Union Address. —

Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 9 Feb. 2023 Hopes for the survival of those still lying under the rubble were fading by the hour as temperatures hovered close to freezing. —

Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2023 More than 11,700 people have been killed by the quakes, and the numbers are expected to keep rising. —

WSJ, 9 Feb. 2023 And the best experiences were reported by people who had installed heat pumps intended for cold climates and whose homes were well-insulated. —

Sabrina Shankman, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023 Demand exceeds supply by 5 million people, and the labor force participation rate has declined. —

Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 8 Feb. 2023 During the game against against Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron’s history-making bucket arrived in the third quarter, accompanied by a fadeaway over Kenrich Williams. —

Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023

Adverb

As the months have gone by, the Big Bang Theory alumna has continued updating her followers with sweet snaps of the soon-to-be parents preparing for their little girl's arrival. —

Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2023 The newspaper of record seems to be marketing to the dominant subculture of years gone by. —

David Guberman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Feb. 2023 It’s reminiscent of times gone by, while also evoking a whimsical feel. —

Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 2023 Cave paintings mark canyon walls telling stories from generations gone by. —

Alicia Erickson, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Jan. 2023 As time has gone by, my husband and I have grown apart. —

Annie Lane, cleveland, 11 Jan. 2023 As time has gone by, my husband and I have grown apart. —

Annie Lane, oregonlive, 11 Jan. 2023 But to my ears, anyway, the space between the two seems to have collapsed as time has gone by. —

David Marchese David Marchesephotograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2023 Almost a month had gone by since Jordian Maldonado’s 14-year-old pit bull, Haze, escaped from his yard in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and went missing. —

Jessica Trufant, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2022

Noun

One teases the passer-by with bands of translucent glass wrapping a core of clear windows; the other, with floors angled in and out — a gentle architectural mambo. —

James S. Russell, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 The former cricket hero started a protest march from the eastern city of Lahore on Oct. 28 before surviving a gun attack that killed a by-stander and wounded 13 others. —

Munir Ahmed, ajc, 24 Nov. 2022 From Tom Cruise doing fly-by’s in big pop-culture summer hits like Top Gun or defending Marines against a court-martial in an awards drama like A Few Good Men, entertainment was actually my inspiration for enlisting. —

Chris Lee, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Nov. 2022 The $10 million fine is the maximum amount allowed under NBA constitution and by-laws. —

Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 14 Sep. 2022 Additionally, Marin wrote the by-laws and best practices for the conference Compliance Directors group. —

Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2022 Only rarely will these survivors—many in their 90s and some over 100—have photos of themselves, their parents, or their siblings from their former lives in Eastern Europe, which were abandoned or destroyed as a by-product of wide-scale mass murder. —

Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2022 Durability is typically a by-product of the types of fabric used. —

Mike Richard, Men's Health, 20 Dec. 2022 These same pathways could protect animals from toxins that the body produces as a by-product of metabolism, which could contribute to aging. —

Saima May Sidik, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2022

Adjective

In theory, the manual should be a lap-time penalty, and the data shows our by-hand gearchanges losing some time to the automatic's quick shifts. —

David Beard, Car and Driver, 7 Feb. 2023 Running backs coach Mike Jinks reiterated USC wants to employ less of a by-committee approach this fall, and Ingram has the look of a workhorse, with the ability to do damage in space and between the tackles. —

Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2021 About 500 fast charging stalls will go live the by end of this year, GM said. —

Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 28 Apr. 2021 But even Alabama must face this stark reality: Smith, Waddle and Harris were generational talents capable of being replaced only with a by-committee approach. —

USA Today, 16 Apr. 2021 Clouds will increase by evening as the next rainy front approaches. —

oregonlive, 29 Apr. 2020 Partly sunny skies emerge for all by afternoon as temperatures struggle to move past the 30s to low 40s for highs. —

Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2019 Horton was a familiar face in the community by sight, if not by name. —

Susan Hoffman, Daily Pilot, 15 July 2019 JoJo’ Robar, if not by name then by description — that guy with the 200-watt smile and his three-wheeled bike who rode all over, collecting cans and friends. —

Bill Leukhardt, Courant Community, 13 June 2018 See More

Word History

Etymology

Preposition, Adverb, Noun, and Adjective

Middle English, preposition & adverb, from Old English, preposition, be, bī; akin to Old High German bī by, near, Latin ambi- on both sides, around, Greek amphi

Interjection

short for goodbye

First Known Use

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Noun

1567, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Interjection

1709, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing by

Kids Definition

1 of 3 preposition

(ˈ)bī

especially before consonants bə

: close to : near

by the sea

: so as to go along or through

by a different route

enter by the door

: past entry 2 sense 2

went right by them

: at, during

studied by night

: not later than

be there by 2 p.m.

: through the means or agency of

by force

: according to sense 1

by the rules

called by a different name

: with respect to

a doctor by profession

: to or in the amount or length of

win by a nose

sold by the pound

: in a series of

walk two by two

—used as a function word in multiplication and division and in measurements

divide 6 by 2a room 15 feet by 20 feet

: in the opinion of

it's fine by me

2 of 3 adverb

ˈbī

: close at hand : near

standing by

: at or to another's home

stop by for a chat

: past entry 4

cars went by

: aside entry 1 sense 2

putting some money by

3 of 3 noun

variants or bye

ˈbī

plural byes

ˈbīz

: something incidental

单词	by the by
释义	by 1 of 5 preposition ˈbī before consonants also bə 1 : in proximity to : near standing by the window 2 a : into the vicinity of and beyond : past went right by him b : through or through the medium (see medium entry 1 sense 2) of : via enter by the door c : in the direction of : toward sailed north by east 3 a : during the course of studied by night b : not later than be there by 2 p.m. 4 a : through the agency (see agency sense 3) or instrumentality of a poem written by Keats death by firing squad taken by force happened by luck b : born or begot of had two sons by his first wife one child by her second husband c : sired or borne by having foals by champion race horses 5 : with the witness or sanction (see sanction entry 1 sense 4c) of swear by all that is holy 6 a : in conformity with acted by the rules b : according to called her by name sold by the pound 7 —used as a function word in multiplication, in division, and in measurements divide a by bmultiply 10 by 4a room 15 feet by 20 feet 8 a : with respect to a lawyer by profession b : on behalf of did right by his children 9 : in or to the amount or extent of win by a nose b chiefly Scotland : in comparison with : beside 10 —used as a function word to indicate successive units or increments little by littlewalk two by two 11 : in the opinion of : from the point of view of OK by me by 2 of 5 adverb ˈbī 1 : past saw him go by 2 a : at or to another's home stop by b : close at hand : near lives close by 3 : aside, away by 3 of 5 noun ˈbī variants or bye plural byes ˈbīz : something of secondary importance : a side issue by the by by 4 of 5 adjective ˈbī variants or bye 1 : being off the main route : side a by passage 2 : incidental by effects by 5 of 5 interjection ˈbī variants or bye —used to express farewell —often used with following now Phrases by the by or by the bye : incidentally sense 2 Synonyms Preposition through via Adverb around close hard in near nearby nigh See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Preposition His wife was sitting by him. They have a house by the lake. The bus went right by him without stopping. Some friends stopped by our house for a chat. Why don't you come by my place later? Adverb The bus went right by without stopping. We stood and applauded as the parade went by. Why don't you come by later? See More Recent Examples on the Web Preposition Alexander is joined by Speights, Syracuse cornerback Duce Chestnut and others in remaking the Tigers' back seven. —Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2023 Social Security and Medicare are both primarily funded by payroll taxes, which are collected from a levy on both employees and employers. —Jeff Stein, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Feb. 2023 Analysts noted President Biden did not mention Afghanistan or the threat posed by ISIS or al Qaeda in his State of the Union Address. —Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 9 Feb. 2023 Hopes for the survival of those still lying under the rubble were fading by the hour as temperatures hovered close to freezing. —Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2023 More than 11,700 people have been killed by the quakes, and the numbers are expected to keep rising. —WSJ, 9 Feb. 2023 And the best experiences were reported by people who had installed heat pumps intended for cold climates and whose homes were well-insulated. —Sabrina Shankman, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023 Demand exceeds supply by 5 million people, and the labor force participation rate has declined. —Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 8 Feb. 2023 During the game against against Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron’s history-making bucket arrived in the third quarter, accompanied by a fadeaway over Kenrich Williams. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023 Adverb As the months have gone by, the Big Bang Theory alumna has continued updating her followers with sweet snaps of the soon-to-be parents preparing for their little girl's arrival. —Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2023 The newspaper of record seems to be marketing to the dominant subculture of years gone by. —David Guberman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Feb. 2023 It’s reminiscent of times gone by, while also evoking a whimsical feel. —Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Jan. 2023 Cave paintings mark canyon walls telling stories from generations gone by. —Alicia Erickson, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Jan. 2023 As time has gone by, my husband and I have grown apart. —Annie Lane, cleveland, 11 Jan. 2023 As time has gone by, my husband and I have grown apart. —Annie Lane, oregonlive, 11 Jan. 2023 But to my ears, anyway, the space between the two seems to have collapsed as time has gone by. —David Marchese David Marchesephotograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2023 Almost a month had gone by since Jordian Maldonado’s 14-year-old pit bull, Haze, escaped from his yard in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and went missing. —Jessica Trufant, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2022 Noun One teases the passer-by with bands of translucent glass wrapping a core of clear windows; the other, with floors angled in and out — a gentle architectural mambo. —James S. Russell, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2023 The former cricket hero started a protest march from the eastern city of Lahore on Oct. 28 before surviving a gun attack that killed a by-stander and wounded 13 others. —Munir Ahmed, ajc, 24 Nov. 2022 From Tom Cruise doing fly-by’s in big pop-culture summer hits like Top Gun or defending Marines against a court-martial in an awards drama like A Few Good Men, entertainment was actually my inspiration for enlisting. —Chris Lee, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Nov. 2022 The $10 million fine is the maximum amount allowed under NBA constitution and by-laws. —Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 14 Sep. 2022 Additionally, Marin wrote the by-laws and best practices for the conference Compliance Directors group. —Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2022 Only rarely will these survivors—many in their 90s and some over 100—have photos of themselves, their parents, or their siblings from their former lives in Eastern Europe, which were abandoned or destroyed as a by-product of wide-scale mass murder. —Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2022 Durability is typically a by-product of the types of fabric used. —Mike Richard, Men's Health, 20 Dec. 2022 These same pathways could protect animals from toxins that the body produces as a by-product of metabolism, which could contribute to aging. —Saima May Sidik, Scientific American, 20 Dec. 2022 Adjective In theory, the manual should be a lap-time penalty, and the data shows our by-hand gearchanges losing some time to the automatic's quick shifts. —David Beard, Car and Driver, 7 Feb. 2023 Running backs coach Mike Jinks reiterated USC wants to employ less of a by-committee approach this fall, and Ingram has the look of a workhorse, with the ability to do damage in space and between the tackles. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2021 About 500 fast charging stalls will go live the by end of this year, GM said. —Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 28 Apr. 2021 But even Alabama must face this stark reality: Smith, Waddle and Harris were generational talents capable of being replaced only with a by-committee approach. —USA Today, 16 Apr. 2021 Clouds will increase by evening as the next rainy front approaches. —oregonlive, 29 Apr. 2020 Partly sunny skies emerge for all by afternoon as temperatures struggle to move past the 30s to low 40s for highs. —Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2019 Horton was a familiar face in the community by sight, if not by name. —Susan Hoffman, Daily Pilot, 15 July 2019 JoJo’ Robar, if not by name then by description — that guy with the 200-watt smile and his three-wheeled bike who rode all over, collecting cans and friends. —Bill Leukhardt, Courant Community, 13 June 2018 See More Word History Etymology Preposition, Adverb, Noun, and Adjective Middle English, preposition & adverb, from Old English, preposition, be, bī; akin to Old High German bī by, near, Latin ambi- on both sides, around, Greek amphi Interjection short for goodbye First Known Use Preposition before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Adverb before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b Noun 1567, in the meaning defined above Adjective 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Interjection 1709, in the meaning defined above Phrases Containing by as (is) evidenced by (all) by one's lonesome as witnessed by be struck by blow-by-blow bitten by the (activity) bug bit by bit by/from force of habit by/from all reports buried by the sands of time by/from all accounts by/in contrast by/in comparison by/on/upon request by air by all means by all rights by a long shot by all odds by appointment by any means necessary by a nose by any/no stretch of the imagination by and large by and by by blood by-blow by common consent by chance by choice by contract by day by design by definition by dint of by-election by eye by feel by force by force of arms by forfeit by gum by half by hand by hook or by crook by heart by invitation only by itself by machine by letter by magic by marriage by means of by necessity by mutual consent by mistake by night by no means by numbers by oneself by one's own account by one's own admission by one's own hand by one's own bootstraps by ourselves by prescription by-product by reason of by return mail by return by right by return of post by someone's reckoning by stealth by step by the hand by the day by the count of by the name of by the rules by the same token by the score by the seat of one's pants by the sweat of one's brow by the way by trade by the time by virtue of by way of by way of explanation by way of illustration by word of mouth by-your-leave catch (someone or something) by surprise cheek by jowl close by conspicuous by their absence come by day by day days gone by death by misadventure died by her own hand do by do right by do well by (someone) drive-by drop by east by north east by south fine/okay by me fly-by-night fly-by-nighter fly-by-wire get by go by go by the board good-by hang by a thread happen by hoist by one's own petard know (someone) by name lie by lead someone (around) by the nose little by little live by one's wits live by minute by minute month by month north by east north by west northeast by east northwest by west not by a long shot not by a long chalk not by any means one by one not by any manner of means overtaken by events pale by comparison pale in/by comparison to/with pass by piece by piece play by ear play-by-play played by the rules put by put considerable store in/by related by blood sell-by date set/lay great store by set by set great store by/on set store by side by side sit by south by east south by west southeast by east southwest by west stand at/by someone's side stand by step-by-step stick by stop by take (a place) by storm take it/things day by day take (someone or something) by surprise take (something) by storm take the bull by the horns tick away/by/past to/by all (outward) appearances too clever by half trial by jury two-by-four two by two unaccompanied by west by north alcohol by volume by-form by degrees by ambulance by decree by sea baptism by fire by car by some miracle by sight by inches by-by by contraries by some distance abide by close by (someone or something) catch unawares/unprepared/by surprise by the boatload by ear hard by by the book lead by example by fits by accident by jove by popular demand lay by moment by moment by leaps and bounds northwest by north scrape by play it by ear southeast by south eaten up with/by by halves swing by by the skin of one's teeth hard done by by far Munchausen syndrome by proxy by a vote of without (so much as) a by your leave by the wayside southwest by south by the by by fits and starts Munchausen's syndrome by proxy by the head by the heels four-by-four west by south inch by inch by rights by storm stand idly by swear by northeast by north by turns by the numbers by the bye run by sit idly by See More as (is) evidenced by (all) by one's lonesome as witnessed by be struck by blow-by-blow bitten by the (activity) bug bit by bit by/from force of habit by/from all reports buried by the sands of time by/from all accounts by/in contrast by/in comparison by/on/upon request by air by all means by all rights by a long shot by all odds by appointment by any means necessary by a nose by any/no stretch of the imagination by and large by and by by blood by-blow by common consent by chance by choice by contract by day by design by definition by dint of by-election by eye by feel by force by force of arms by forfeit by gum by half by hand by hook or by crook by heart by invitation only by itself by machine by letter by magic by marriage by means of by necessity by mutual consent by mistake by night by no means by numbers by oneself by one's own account by one's own admission by one's own hand by one's own bootstraps by ourselves by prescription by-product by reason of by return mail by return by right by return of post by someone's reckoning by stealth by step by the hand by the day by the count of by the name of by the rules by the same token by the score by the seat of one's pants by the sweat of one's brow by the way by trade by the time by virtue of by way of by way of explanation by way of illustration by word of mouth by-your-leave catch (someone or something) by surprise cheek by jowl close by conspicuous by their absence come by day by day days gone by death by misadventure died by her own hand do by do right by do well by (someone) drive-by drop by east by north east by south fine/okay by me fly-by-night fly-by-nighter fly-by-wire get by go by go by the board good-by hang by a thread happen by hoist by one's own petard know (someone) by name lie by lead someone (around) by the nose little by little live by one's wits live by minute by minute month by month north by east north by west northeast by east northwest by west not by a long shot not by a long chalk not by any means one by one not by any manner of means overtaken by events pale by comparison pale in/by comparison to/with pass by piece by piece play by ear play-by-play played by the rules put by put considerable store in/by related by blood sell-by date set/lay great store by set by set great store by/on set store by side by side sit by south by east south by west southeast by east southwest by west stand at/by someone's side stand by step-by-step stick by stop by take (a place) by storm take it/things day by day take (someone or something) by surprise take (something) by storm take the bull by the horns tick away/by/past to/by all (outward) appearances too clever by half trial by jury two-by-four two by two unaccompanied by west by north alcohol by volume by-form by degrees by ambulance by decree by sea baptism by fire by car by some miracle by sight by inches by-by by contraries by some distance abide by close by (someone or something) catch unawares/unprepared/by surprise by the boatload by ear hard by by the book lead by example by fits by accident by jove by popular demand lay by moment by moment by leaps and bounds northwest by north scrape by play it by ear southeast by south eaten up with/by by halves swing by by the skin of one's teeth hard done by by far Munchausen syndrome by proxy by a vote of without (so much as) a by your leave by the wayside southwest by south by the by by fits and starts Munchausen's syndrome by proxy by the head by the heels four-by-four west by south inch by inch by rights by storm stand idly by swear by northeast by north by turns by the numbers by the bye run by sit idly by See More Kids Definition by 1 of 3 preposition (ˈ)bī especially before consonants bə 1 : close to : near by the sea 2 a : so as to go along or through by a different route enter by the door b : past entry 2 sense 2 went right by them 3 a : at, during studied by night b : not later than be there by 2 p.m. 4 : through the means or agency of by force 5 : according to sense 1 by the rules called by a different name 6 : with respect to a doctor by profession 7 : to or in the amount or length of win by a nose sold by the pound 8 : in a series of walk two by two 9 —used as a function word in multiplication and division and in measurements divide 6 by 2a room 15 feet by 20 feet 10 : in the opinion of it's fine by me by 2 of 3 adverb ˈbī 1 a : close at hand : near standing by b : at or to another's home stop by for a chat 2 : past entry 4 cars went by 3 : aside entry 1 sense 2 putting some money by by 3 of 3 noun variants or bye ˈbī plural byes ˈbīz : something incidental by the by phrase variants or by the bye as in incidentally by way of interjection or digression He mentioned by the by that he had never been to Paris. Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance incidentally interjectionally apropos en passant by the way digressively in passing secondarily tangentially parenthetically excursively
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by

preposition

adverb

noun

adjective

interjection

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing by

Kids Definition

phrase