by design
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I started wondering how a band like that got past the velvet rope and realized that none of it was by accident, it was all by design.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
But you wouldn’t know this — the packaging is left unmarked by design.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
"Clinical trials are the gold standard, but by design, they are slow," says Guntuku.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
The role’s ambiguity, offering no hint of seniority or rank, is by design.
From MarketWatch • May 9, 2026
Rowan had never been an exceptional student—but that was by design.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.