by

¹ American  

[bahy] / baɪ /

preposition

1. near to or next to.

   a home by a lake.

2. over the surface of, through the medium of, along, or using as a route.

   He came by the highway. She arrived by air.

3. on, as a means of conveyance.

   They arrived by ship.

4. to and beyond the vicinity of; past.

   He went by the church.

5. within the extent or period of; during.

   by day; by night.

6. not later than; at or before.

   I usually finish work by five o'clock.

7. to the extent or amount of.

   The new house is larger than the old one by a great deal. He's taller than his sister by three inches.

8. from the opinion, evidence, or authority of.

   By his own account he was in Chicago at the time. I know him by sight.

9. according to; in conformity with.

   This is a bad movie by any standards.

10. with (something) at stake; on.

    to swear by all that is sacred.

11. through the agency, efficacy, work, participation, or authority of.

    The book was published by Random House.

12. from the hand, mind, invention, or creativity of.

    She read a poem by Emily Dickinson. The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison.

13. in consequence, as a result, or on the basis of.

    We met by chance. We won the game by forfeit.

14. accompanied with or in the atmosphere of.

    Lovers walk by moonlight.

15. in treatment or support of; for.

    He did well by his children.

16. after; next after, as of the same items in a series.

    piece by piece; little by little.

17. (in multiplication) taken the number of times as that specified by the second number, or multiplier.

    Multiply 18 by 57.

18. (in measuring shapes) having an adjoining side of, as a width relative to a length.

    a room 10 feet by 12 feet.

19. (in division) separated into the number of equal parts as that specified by the second number, or divisor.

    Divide 99 by 33.

20. in terms or amounts of; in measuring units of.

    Apples are sold by the bushel. I'm paid by the week.

21. begot or born of.

    Eve had two sons by Adam.

22. (of quadrupeds) having as a sire.

    Equipoise II by Equipoise.

23. Navigation. (as used in the names of the 16 smallest points on the compass) one point toward the east, west, north, or south of N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, or NW, respectively.

    He sailed NE by N from Pago Pago.

24. into, at, or to.

    Come by my office this afternoon.

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adverb

1. near; in the immediate vicinity; at hand.

   The school is close by.

2. to and beyond a point near something; past.

   The car drove by.

3. aside; away.

   Put your work by for the moment. Over the years, she laid by enough money to retire.

4. over; past.

   in times gone by.

5. by me,

   1. (in bridge and other bidding card games) a declaration that the speaker is passing.

   2. (in poker) a declaration that the speaker is checking.

      Is my pair of tens still high? By me.

adjective

1. situated to one side.

   They came down a by passage.

2. secondary, incidental.

   It was only a by comment.

noun

plural

byes

1. bye.

idioms

1. by and by, in a short time; before long; presently.

   The clouds will disappear by and by.

2. by the by. bye.

3. by and large, in general; on the whole.

   By and large, there is much to be said for the new system.

by- ² American  

1. a combining form of by.

   by-product; bystander; byway.

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by ¹ British  

/ baɪ /

preposition

1. used to indicate the agent after a passive verb

   seeds eaten by the birds

2. used to indicate the person responsible for a creative work

   this song is by Schubert

3. via; through

   enter by the back door

4. followed by a gerund to indicate a means used

   he frightened her by hiding behind the door

5. beside; next to; near

   a tree by the house

6. passing the position of; past

   he drove by the old cottage

7. not later than; before

   return the books by Tuesday

8. used to indicate extent, after a comparative

   it is hotter by five degrees than it was yesterday

9. (esp in oaths) invoking the name of

   I swear by all the gods

10. multiplied by

    four by three equals twelve

11. (in habitual sentences) during the passing of (esp in the phrases by day , by night )

12. placed between measurements of the various dimensions of something

    a plank fourteen inches by seven

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adverb

1. near

   the house is close by

2. away; aside

   he put some money by each week for savings

3. passing a point near something; past

   he drove by

4. past; over and done with

   that's a' by now

5. aside; behind one

   you must put that by you

noun

1. a variant spelling of bye 1

by- ² British  

prefix

1. near

   bystander

2. secondary or incidental

   by-effect

   by-election

   by-path

   by-product

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by ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Belarus

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Related Words

By, through, with indicate agency or means of getting something done or accomplished. By is regularly used to denote the agent (person or force) in passive constructions: It is done by many; destroyed by fire. It also indicates means: Send it by airmail. With denotes the instrument (usually consciously) employed by an agent: He cut it with the scissors. Through designates particularly immediate agency or instrumentality or reason or motive: through outside aid; to yield through fear; wounded through carelessness.

Etymology

Origin of by

First recorded before 900; Middle English bi, be, by, Old English bī, big, be; cognate with Dutch bij, Old High German bī, German bei, Gothic bi; be-

Explanation

By means near, beside, or past. When your friend rides by on her bike, she passes close to you. Your dog might run by too fast for you to catch her and put her leash on, or you might ask your dad to drive by the house he lived in when he first met your mom. In both cases, by means "past," or "passing a particular point." A more old-fashioned way to use the word is to mean "aside" or "in reserve," as when your aunt puts some homemade pickles by so she can eat them all winter.

Example Sentences

But the officials said Saudi Arabia has warned Iran might retaliate by closing the Bab al-Mandeb—a Red Sea chokepoint crucial for the kingdom’s remaining oil exports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

The outcome of talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad over the weekend will be watched closely by investors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Tuesday’s decision was expected by eight out of 10 analysts in a Wall Street Journal poll as war disrupts critical supply routes, driving up prices of oil and other commodities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Nell Angloma, of France, was selected No. 12 by the Connecticut Sun.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

You stop by the bathroom, and of course your period shows up today.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• aside
• away
• through