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• go-by
  go-by

  noun

  a going by without notice; an intentional passing by; snub.
• go by
  go by

  verb

  to pass

go-by

American  

[goh-bahy] / ˈgoʊˌbaɪ /

noun

Informal.

1. a going by without notice; an intentional passing by; snub.

   to give one the go-by.

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go by ¹ British  

verb

1. to pass

   the cars went by

   as the years go by we all get older

   don't let those opportunities go by!

2. (preposition) to be guided by

   in the darkness we could only go by the stars

3. (preposition) to use as a basis for forming an opinion or judgment

   it's wise not to go only by appearances

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go-by ² British  

noun

1. slang a deliberate snub or slight (esp in the phrase give ( a person ) the go-by )

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go by Idioms  

1. Elapse, pass, as in the popular song, “As Time Goes By” (by Herman Hupfeld, 1931), or He just went by our house . [c. 1600]

2. Ignore, fail to notice or take advantage of, as in You shouldn't let this opportunity go by . [Early 1500s] For the related go by the board , see by the board .

3. Rely on, believe, as in I'm going by the numbers on this list , or We'll have to go by what she tells us .

4. go by the name of . Be known by or use a specific name. For example, She continued to go by her maiden name, Mary Smith . [Late 1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of go-by

First recorded in 1605–15; noun use of verb phrase go by

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go-by go by

Competitors too cried hoarse saying Uber had been giving the go-by to background checks on the drivers it aggregated through its service.

From Forbes ● Dec. 8, 2014

I says what else do you expect except every dam drummer and cheap show that comes to town because even these town jellybeans give her the go-by now.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

"Romance gives old fossils like me the go-by."

From A Knight on Wheels by Ian Hay

But Stevens here got in such a way about it, that I felt sorry for him, and I gave them all the go-by for him.

From The Red Mouse by William Hamilton Osborne

The least egotistical of men—and Massingbred did not enter into this category—find it occasionally very hard to bear the cool "go-by" the world gives them whenever a chance interval has withdrawn them from public view.

From The Martins Of Cro' Martin, Vol. II (of II) by Charles James Lever

But as the years go by and the demographic realities start to change, he thinks he may be saying that with less and less confidence, until it’s no longer true.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

In 2026, your mother can contribute up to $95,000 in one go by electing to front-load five years of annual gift-tax exclusions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

If history is anything to go by, the Tigers may already have gone a long way towards securing their most important objective of the 2025-26 season - preserving their top-flight status.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

In November, however, Jesse and Joey Buss, as well as the rest of their siblings except for Jeanie, were let go by the Lakers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“I hear folks call you Shay sometimes. That’s like me. Hardly nobody calls me Tyler. I go by Ty.”

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée