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
variants
or bye
1
: being off the main route : side
a by passage
2
: incidental
by effects
Synonyms
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
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
IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2023
There’s a warm breeze and, every so often, a Texas Longhorn steer trots by.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2023
Though, if prior Zelda discounts are anything to go by (as few as there have been), these deals will not stick around long.
—Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 20 June 2023
Running down the center of I-95, the cars in the express lanes whizzed by, taunting those crawling on either side.
—Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 11 June 2023
In order to ratchet up tension or provide stillness in more emotional scenes, the rules of how something moves through, or is pushed by, water needed to be broken.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2023
His son, Ian, leaned on Klay’s shoulder as members of the military walked by.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 11 May 2023
Fish finders with a 360 degree transducer do the same in all directions to create a live view of fish swimming by.
—Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023
In the offices of Virgin Records in London, Ware was bemoaning the fate of his project when Ken Berry, one of the founders of the label, walked by and overheard his predicament.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2023
BostonGlobe.com, 4 Apr. 2023
The event closed with a fly-by over the palace.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 2 June 2022
Surround the walkway with midsize shrubs and flowers; passers-by will notice plant groupings more than individual flowers, making a greater streetside impact.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023
Make that a sail-by.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022
One of the damaged planes landed successfully while the second did a fly-by to monitor the situation.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2023
Either way, everyone will be hearing a lot more about her memories of relationships-gone-by.
—Kristine Thomason, Women's Health, 17 Mar. 2023
Two F-15 Eagles performed a tactical demonstration on Saturday, capping their performance with a fly-by over Progressive Field at the end of the national anthem during a Cleveland Guardians game.
—John Kuntz, cleveland, 4 Sep. 2022
Another option: Find like-minded people elsewhere—by, say, signing up for fitness classes, learning a new language, pursuing a hobby that intrigues you, or joining a club, Dr. Cormier says.
—Lauren Krouse, SELF, 23 Feb. 2023
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
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
Spectrum Staff One thing that puzzled me early on was how well such a camera would work to catch meteors flashing by, given that the camera takes still images, not many-frames-per-second videos.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2023
There’s a warm breeze and, every so often, a Texas Longhorn steer trots by.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2023
Though, if prior Zelda discounts are anything to go by (as few as there have been), these deals will not stick around long.
—Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 20 June 2023
Running down the center of I-95, the cars in the express lanes whizzed by, taunting those crawling on either side.
—Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 11 June 2023
In order to ratchet up tension or provide stillness in more emotional scenes, the rules of how something moves through, or is pushed by, water needed to be broken.
—Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 31 May 2023
His son, Ian, leaned on Klay’s shoulder as members of the military walked by.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 11 May 2023
Fish finders with a 360 degree transducer do the same in all directions to create a live view of fish swimming by.
—Ric Burnley, Field & Stream, 3 May 2023
In the offices of Virgin Records in London, Ware was bemoaning the fate of his project when Ken Berry, one of the founders of the label, walked by and overheard his predicament.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2023
Noun
There were signs both supporting and decrying the former president stuck to posts, one urging passers-by to donate to help fund Trump’s presidential library and another showing a shouting Trump behind bars.
—BostonGlobe.com, 4 Apr. 2023
The event closed with a fly-by over the palace.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 2 June 2022
Surround the walkway with midsize shrubs and flowers; passers-by will notice plant groupings more than individual flowers, making a greater streetside impact.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023
Make that a sail-by.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022
One of the damaged planes landed successfully while the second did a fly-by to monitor the situation.
—Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2023
Either way, everyone will be hearing a lot more about her memories of relationships-gone-by.
—Kristine Thomason, Women's Health, 17 Mar. 2023
Two F-15 Eagles performed a tactical demonstration on Saturday, capping their performance with a fly-by over Progressive Field at the end of the national anthem during a Cleveland Guardians game.
—John Kuntz, cleveland, 4 Sep. 2022
Another option: Find like-minded people elsewhere—by, say, signing up for fitness classes, learning a new language, pursuing a hobby that intrigues you, or joining a club, Dr. Cormier says.
—Lauren Krouse, SELF, 23 Feb. 2023
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'by.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of by was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing by
Articles Related to by
Dictionary Entries Near by
Cite this Entry
“By.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by. Accessed 13 Jul. 2023.
Copy Citation
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
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 adverb1
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
More from Merriam-Webster on by
Nglish: Translation of by for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of by for Arabic Speakers
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