Meaning of by in English

preposition

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/baɪ/ us

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/baɪ/

by preposition (AGENT)

used to show the person or thing that does something:

The motorcycle was driven by a tiny bald man.

We were amazed by what she told us.

I'm reading some short stories (written) by Chekhov.

The book was translated by a well-known author.

I felt frightened by the anger in his voice.

More examples

The roof of the temple was held up by a row of thick stone columns.
The girl's mother was at home today, being comforted by relatives.
The English were conquered by the Normans in 1066.
The temperature is controlled by a thermostat.
Any painting by Van Gogh is worth a fortune.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Linguistics: connecting words which express a condition

by preposition (METHOD)

used to show how something is done:

They travelled across Europe by train/car.

She did the decorating (all) by herself (= alone, without help from anyone).

We went in by (= through) the front door.

Do you want to be paid in cash or by cheque?

He learned English by listening to the radio.

Suddenly, she grabbed him by the arm (= took hold of this part of his body).

I refuse to live by (= following) their rules.

More examples

She cheated in the test by copying from the boy in front.
I don't have any cash on me, so could I pay by cheque?
Whenever I travel by train, I always travel first class.
He managed to stay afloat by holding on to the side of the boat.
The pilot avoided a collision by changing course.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Ways of achieving things

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by preposition (POSITION)

near or at the side of:

A small child stood sullenly by her side.

He wanted to keep her close by him always.

The policewoman walked by (= past) them without saying a word.

More examples

We spent a week by the coast.
He held my arms down by my sides.
He has a house down by the harbour.
She sat reading by the fireside.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Closeness in distance and time

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by preposition (NOT LATER THAN)

not later than; at or before:

She had promised to be back by five o'clock.

The application must be in by the 31st to be accepted.

By the time I got to the station the train had already gone.

More examples

We are committed to withdrawing our troops by the end of the year.
All contributions for the school magazine must be received by 1 August.
We need a firm decision by the end of the week.
I've got to be home by seven.
I aim to be a millionaire by the time I'm 35.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Before, after and already

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by preposition (MEASUREMENT)

used to show measurements or amounts:

Our office floor space measured twelve metres by ten (= was twelve metres in one direction and ten in the other).

Their wages were increased by 15 percent.

Freelance workers are paid by the hour (= for every hour they work).

These phones have sold by the thousand (= several thousand have been sold).

minute by minute/hour by hour/day by day, etc. (also by the minute/hour/day, etc.)

used to say that something increases or changes with every minute, hour, day, etc. that passes:

The death toll from the hurricane was climbing minute by minute/by the minute.

The credibility of the campaign has deterioriated month by month/by the month.

minute-by-minute/hour-by-hour, etc.

describing or showing what happens every minute, hour, etc.:

a minute-by-minute timeline of the incident

The book paints a detailed, week-by-week portrait of his father's illness.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Linguistics: connecting words which express a condition

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Becoming bigger

Describing when something happened or will happen

by preposition (DURING)

during:

We travelled by night and rested by day.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Simultaneous and consecutive

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by nature, profession, trade, etc.

used when describing someone's character, job, etc.:

She is, by nature, a sunny, positive kind of person.

He's a plumber by trade.

She was, by profession, a lawyer.

be all right/fine by sb

If something is all right/fine by someone, they agree that it can happen:

"I'd rather go later." "That's fine by me."

If it's all right by you, I'd like to leave now.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Accepting & agreeing

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Grammar

By is a preposition or an adverb. …

By and time

We use by meaning ‘not later than’ to refer to arrangements and deadlines: …

By and the passive

When we use the passive voice, we can use a phrase with by to say who did the action: …

By meaning ‘how to do something’

We use by + -ing form to describe how to do something: …

By + myself etc.

When we say by + myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, it means ‘alone’. We sometimes use all for emphasis: …

By and place

We use by to mean ‘beside’ or ‘at the side of’: …

By and measurements and amounts

We use by to talk about measurements, and increases and decreases in amounts: …

By meaning ‘during’

We sometimes use by + day and by + night to mean ‘during the day or the night’: …

By meaning ‘written’ or ‘composed’

We use by when we talk about the writers of books, songs, poems, symphonies, etc.: …

By: typical errors

…

Before, by, till, until

If you have to do something before a certain point in time, then when that point arrives, the action must already be completed: …

adverb

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/baɪ/ us

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/baɪ/

at the side of or (in distance or time) past:

The policewoman walked by without saying a word.

Why don't you call in for a cup of coffee next time you're passing by?

The years flew by.

More examples

I was just passing by, so I thought I'd drop in for a chat.
He tapped Brown on the shoulder as he went by.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Closeness in distance and time

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Grammar

By is a preposition or an adverb. …

By and time

We use by meaning ‘not later than’ to refer to arrangements and deadlines: …

By and the passive

When we use the passive voice, we can use a phrase with by to say who did the action: …

By meaning ‘how to do something’

We use by + -ing form to describe how to do something: …

By + myself etc.

When we say by + myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, oneself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, it means ‘alone’. We sometimes use all for emphasis: …

By and place

We use by to mean ‘beside’ or ‘at the side of’: …

By and measurements and amounts

We use by to talk about measurements, and increases and decreases in amounts: …

By meaning ‘during’

We sometimes use by + day and by + night to mean ‘during the day or the night’: …

By meaning ‘written’ or ‘composed’

We use by when we talk about the writers of books, songs, poems, symphonies, etc.: …

By: typical errors

…

Idiom

by and by

(Definition of by from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

by | American Dictionary

preposition

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/bɑɪ/

by preposition (CAUSE)

used to show the person or thing that causes something to happen or to exist:

The car was driven by a short, bald man.

I’m reading some short stories by Chekhov.

I took her umbrella by mistake.

by preposition (METHOD)

used to show how something is done:

They thought about flying to Boston but decided to go by car.

She did the repair work by herself (= without help).

Do you want to be paid in cash or by check?

He learned English by listening to the radio.

by preposition (ACCORDING TO)

according to:

By my watch, it’s 2 o’clock.

The students were listed by name.

by preposition (NOT LATER THAN)

not later than; at or before:

She promised to be back by 10 p.m.

by preposition (MEASUREMENT)

used to show measurements or amounts:

Their wages increased by 12%.

The room measures 15 feet by 20 feet.

by preposition (DURING)

during:

We traveled by night and rested by day.

Idioms

by all means
by and large
by heart
by hook or by crook
by the book
by the same token

preposition, adverb [ not gradable ]

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/bɑɪ/

by preposition, adverb [not gradable] (NEAR)

near, beside, or (in distance or time) past:

A small child stood quietly by her side.

Claire waved as she drove by.

As time went by, she became more attached to him.

Translations of by

in Chinese (Traditional)

in Japanese

in Turkish

in French

in Catalan

in Arabic

in Czech

in Danish

in Indonesian

in Thai

in Vietnamese

in Polish

in Malay

in German

in Norwegian

in Korean

in Portuguese

in Chinese (Simplified)

in Italian

in Russian

in Spanish

引起, （用於表示動作的施動者）被，由, 方法…

～による, ～によって, ～を通して…

tarafından, ile, yoluyla…

par, près de, à côté de…

per, abans de, al costat de…

مِن قِبَل, مِنْ خِلال, بِواسِطة…

vedle, u, podél…

ved siden af, forbi, ad…

di sisi, melewati, melalui…

ใกล้, ผ่าน, ทาง…

gần, cạnh, qua…

przez, Często tłumaczy się narzędnikiem, np. czekiem…

sebelah, melewati, melalui…

bei, vorbei, über…

av, ved, forbi…

-가 한, -가 그린, (수단)-로…

por, de, até…

引起, （用于表示动作的施动者）被，由, 方法…

da, con, entro…

указывает на деятеля, передается твор. падежом, реже род. падежом…

por, antes de, junto a…

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buzzkill

buzzword

buzzy

by (sheer) force/weight of numbers idiom

by a nose idiom

by a whisker idiom

by accident idiom

Meaning of by in English

by preposition (AGENT)

by preposition (METHOD)

by preposition (POSITION)

by preposition (NOT LATER THAN)

by preposition (MEASUREMENT)

by preposition (DURING)

Grammar

Grammar

Idiom

by | American Dictionary

by preposition (CAUSE)

by preposition (METHOD)

by preposition (ACCORDING TO)

by preposition (NOT LATER THAN)

by preposition (MEASUREMENT)

by preposition (DURING)

Idioms

by preposition, adverb [not gradable] (NEAR)

Translations of by

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