by the bye


Also, by the by. Incidentally, in passing, as in By the bye, my wife is coming too, or Exactly where do you live, by the by? The bye or second by in this term originally meant “a side path,” whence the current sense of “off the track” or “of secondary importance.” [Early 1500s] Also see by the way.

Words Nearby by the bye

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use by the bye in a sentence

  • By-the-bye, I hope you intend to stay some time, and that you will take up your quarters with me?

  • I don't think you've grown much, Francie—and oh, by-the-bye, I believe there's a tuck that could be let down.'

    Robin Redbreast | Mary Louisa Molesworth
  • One invariable mark of Arab blood, by-the-bye, is a high and graceful carriage of the tail.

    Horsemanship for Women | Theodore Hoe Mead
  • By-the-bye, though, I ought to be as much surprised to see you.

    Tristram of Blent | Anthony Hope
  • She had fought a very desperate and gallant action, which, by-the-bye, I have never seen recorded in any naval history.

    Hurricane Hurry | W.H.G. Kingston