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\ ˈbī 
, before consonants also bə \
, before consonants also bə \Definition of by
(Entry 1 of 5)
1 : in proximity to : near standing by the window
2a : 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
3a : during the course of studied by night
b : not later than be there by 2 p.m.
4a : 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
6a : 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 measurementsdivide a by bmultiply 10 by 4a room 15 feet by 20 feet
8a : 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
10 —used as a function word to indicate successive units or incrementslittle by littlewalk two by two
11 : in the opinion of : from the point of view of OK by me
by
adverb\ ˈbī \
\Definition of by (Entry 2 of 5)
by
noun\ ˈbī \
\variants: or bye
plural byes\ ˈbīz \
\Definition of by (Entry 3 of 5)
: something of secondary importance : a side issue by the by
by
adjective\ ˈbī \
\variants: or bye
Definition of by (Entry 4 of 5)
1 : being off the main route : side a by passage
2 : incidental by effects
by
interjection\ ˈbī \
\variants: or bye
Definition of by (Entry 5 of 5)
—used to express farewell —often used with following now
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Examples of by in a Sentence
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?
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Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition The original statement asserts that Black lives matter, but did not name George Floyd, Breonna Taylor or others killed by the police. — Lily Altavena, The Arizona Republic, "Phoenix Elementary president steps down after 'innocent until proven guilty' comments," 2 July 2020 The panel's formation comes roughly one month after civil unrest swept through downtown following public protests against the killing of Black Americans by police. — Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, "Committee forms to help Downtown Indianapolis recover from virus, protests," 2 July 2020 McClain had been walking home from a convenience store when he was approached by police after a 911 caller reported a suspicious person in a ski mask. — CBS News, "Elijah McClain's father calls for everyone involved in his death to be "held accountable for their actions"," 1 July 2020 The post featured a topless Reinhart as a way to get people’s attention before demanding justice for Taylor, who was killed by Louisville police in March. — cleveland, "Lili Reinhart apologizes for using nude photo to demand justice for Breonna Taylor," 1 July 2020 Several incidents involving use of force by police against African Americans have prompted nationwide protests in recent weeks. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, "Alexandria police officer charged with assault on handcuffed man, city says," 1 July 2020 She was taken into custody by police after setting the phone down. — Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, "'Last night was different': 20 people arrested by Louisville police at protests," 1 July 2020 In Indiana, the new statute says that a driver can be stopped by police, fined up to $500, and potentially lose their license for having a phone in their hand while driving – regardless of whether the phone is being used. — Editors, USA TODAY, "New California restrictions, EU travel ban, minimum wage hikes: 5 things to know Wednesday," 1 July 2020 Andrew Wan, a pro-democracy lawmaker, is arrested by riot police during a protest in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. — Madeline Roache, Time, "U.K. Prime Minister Offers 3 Million Hong Kong Residents Path to British Citizenship," 1 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Shoplifters focused on city dwellers forming a makeshift family, barely getting by in an inhospitable environment that pits them against their neighbors. — Lidija Haas, The New Republic, "Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Ingenious Families," 2 July 2020 The rushes at Clear Water Harbor are hard to predict, Meighan said, with customers stopping by throughout the week. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'Everybody is really looking to escape' as summer tourism destinations fill up with visitors," 2 July 2020 Once, al-Nesr had offered a young man passing by in a truck 200,000 Iraq dinars and a can of diesel to bury the bodies. — Washington Post, "New mass grave unearthed in Iraq’s north from brutal IS rule," 2 July 2020 Masked customers make hurried decisions from outside storefronts, or pass by without stopping, concerned about a sudden crowd gathering around them or another shopper sneezing in their face. — Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, "Pandemic pricing: Are Mideast markets losing the art of the deal?," 30 June 2020 At the Vol football complex the summer before his freshman season, Ainge wore one of his high school baseball shirts when Fulmer walked by. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "Alot’s happened in the 5,000 days since Alabama last lost to Tennessee," 29 June 2020 As the days went by, a sort of skin or scab grew over the memory of her arrest. — Hari Kunzru, The New Yorker, "A Transparent Woman," 29 June 2020 After releasing him, the report found that another 12 minutes went by before staffers sought medical attention or attempted CPR. — Justin Carissimo, CBS News, "Three charged in death of black teen who died after being restrained at youth facility," 27 June 2020 Yesterday, at week one of the two-part 2020 ESSENCE Wellness House event, New York Times best-selling author and founder & CEO of 22 Days Nutrition, Marco Borges, stopped by in partnership with Wal-Mart, to talk about healthy eating and living. — Charli Penn, Essence, "Sitting Is The New Smoking! Marco Borges On The Importance Of Moving Daily," 26 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Andretti has reserve crew members on stand-by, Edwards said. — Jim Ayello, The Indianapolis Star, "What happens if an IndyCar driver contracts COVID-19?," 1 July 2020 During our hour together her phone buzzed constantly with messages from promoters and club owners (a male passer-by also interrupted us to praise her beauty). — Ashley Mears, The Economist, "Stories of an extraordinary world The secret economics of a VIP party," 26 June 2020 During our hour together her phone buzzed constantly with messages from promoters and club owners (a male passer-by also interrupted us to praise her beauty). — 1843, "The secret economics of a VIP party," 25 June 2020 Neutron star collisions are fiery, energetic and messy, releasing matter in all directions, and light is a by-product. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Gravitational waves reveal merger between black hole and mystery 'mass gap' object," 23 June 2020 Cody Hoffman and an honor ride-by and presentation from Rolling Thunder. — Sam Boyer, cleveland, "Volunteers take chip off the old block: Whit & Whimsey," 18 June 2020 Loveland, Georgia Tech baseball standout Luke Waddell bypassed in MLB Draft Cincinnati Enquirer LOVELAND - Future Loveland High School Hall of Famer Luke Waddell has numerous athletic accolades but a pro baseball career remains on stand-by. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, "Loveland, Georgia Tech baseball standout Luke Waddell not chosen in shortened MLB Draft," 12 June 2020 After a local television station showed up to interview him and was followed by the ., the walk-by/drive-by comic from the District of Saanich on Vancouver Island became a bit of an Internet celebrity. — Cathy Free, Washington Post, "A first-grader set up a booth to tell passersby all the jokes he knows. He became a mini Internet celebrity.," 18 May 2020 Instead of having an appraiser enter a home, banks in some cases are allowing automated, drive-by, or FaceTime appraisals. — Kathleen Pender, SFChronicle.com, "Shelter-in-place has made buying or selling a Bay Area home a lot more complicated," 16 May 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Clouds will increase by evening as the next rainy front approaches. — oregonlive, "Portland metro Wednesday weather: Mostly cloudy, slight chances for rain late; high 70," 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, "D.C.-area forecast: A mild morning before temperatures tumble. Wet snow possible late tonight.," 10 Dec. 2019 Horton was a familiar face in the community by sight, if not by name. — Susan Hoffman, Daily Pilot, "Costa Mesa woman known for her fight to authenticate a possible Jackson Pollock painting dies without selling it," 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, "Plainville Says Goodbye To JoJo," 13 June 2018 In the church’s library, retired religion scholar Herb Burhenn unpacks John 16 verse by verse as a dozen seniors seated around a long table listen and nod deferentially. — G. Jeffrey Macdonald, The Christian Science Monitor, "Luther’s legacy: How people use the Bible today, 500 years after a monk sparked the Protestant Reformation," 30 Oct. 2017 Other prominent Israeli politicians and bodies preceded Mr. Netanyahu in condemning the violence in Charlottesville and the response of Mr. Trump, if not by name. — Isabel Kershner, New York Times, "As Trump Offers Neo-Nazis Muted Criticism, Netanyahu Is Largely Silent," 18 Aug. 2017 Shipping the hefty-size goods that consumers buy from Costco in bulk could eat into profit margins that are already low for most household staples—particularly as carriers move to charge by dimension as well as weight. — Paul Page, WSJ, "Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ," 6 Apr. 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'by.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for by
by
prepositionEnglish Language Learners Definition of by
(Entry 1 of 2)
: close to or next to (something or someone)
: up to and beyond (something or someone)
: at or to (someone's home)
by
adverbEnglish Language Learners Definition of by (Entry 2 of 2)
—used with put to describe something that is being kept or saved for a future use
: at or to someone's home
: close or near
See the full definition for by in the English Language Learners Dictionary
by
preposition\ bī \
\Kids Definition of by
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : close to : near His dog stood by the door.
2 : so as to go on We went by the back road. I prefer to travel by bus.
3 : so as to go through The burglar left by the back window.
4 : so as to pass A policeman drove by the house.
5 : at sense 1, during I travel by night.
6 : no later than Be sure to leave by noon.
7 : with the use or help of She won by cheating.
8 : through the action of It was seen by the others.
9 : according to sense 1 Play by the rules.
10 : with respect to He is a lawyer by profession. She is a Canadian by birth.
11 : to the amount of The youngest runner won by a mile.
12 —used to join two or more measurementsa room 14 feet wide by 20 feet long or to join the numbers in a statement of multiplication or divisionDivide 8 by 4.
by
adverbKids Definition of by (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : near at hand Stand by.
2 : past entry 4 in days gone by We walked right by.
by and by
: after a while We left by and by.
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Time Traveler for by
The first known use of by was before the 12th century
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