pronunciation note: The preposition is pronounced (baɪ). The adverb is pronounced (baɪ).In addition to the uses shown below, by is used in phrasal verbs such as 'abide by', 'put by', and 'stand by'.
1. preposition
If something is done by a person or thing, that person or thing does it.
The feast was served by his mother and sisters.
I was amazed by their discourtesy and lack of professionalism.
The town has been under attack by rebel groups for a week now.
Synonyms: through, via, with the help of, by virtue of More Synonyms of by
2. preposition
If you say that something such as a book, a piece of music, or a painting is by a particular person, you mean that this person wrote it or created it.
...a painting by Van Gogh.
He read Enobarbus's speech from Anthony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare.
3. preposition
If you do something by a particular means, you do it using that thing.
We'll be travelling by car.
...dinners by candlelight.
4. preposition [PREP v-ing]
If you achieve one thing by doing another thing, your action enables you to achieve the first thing.
Make the sauce by boiling the cream and stock together in a pan.
The all-female yacht crew made history by becoming the first to sail round the world.
By using the air ambulance to transport patients, they can save up to £15,000 perpatient.
5. preposition
You use by in phrases such as 'by chance' or 'by accident' to indicate whether or not an event was planned.
I met him by chance out walking yesterday.
He opened Ingrid's letter by mistake.
Whether by design or accident his timing was perfect.
6. preposition
If someone is a particular type of person by nature, by profession, or by birth, they are that type of person because of their nature, their profession, or the familythey were born into.
I am certainly lucky to have a kind wife who is loving by nature.
She's a nurse by profession and now runs a counselling service for women.
Her parents were in fact American by birth.
7. preposition
If something must be done by law, it happens according to the law. If something is the case by particular standards, it is the case according to the standards.
Pharmacists are required by law to give the medicine prescribed by the doctor.
...evening wear that was discreet by his standards.
8. preposition
If you say what someone means by a particular word or expression, you are saying what they intend the word or expression to refer to.
Stella knew what he meant by 'start again'.
'You're unbelievably lucky'—'What do you mean by that?'
9. preposition
If you hold someone or something by a particular part of them, you hold that part.
He caught her by the shoulder and turned her around.
She was led by the arm to a small room at the far end of the corridor.
He picked up the photocopy by one corner and put it in his wallet.
10. preposition
Someone or something that is by something else is beside it and close to it.
Judith was sitting in a rocking-chair by the window.
They stood by the side of the road.
Emma was by the door.
Synonyms: near, past, along, close to More Synonyms of by
By is also an adverb.
Large numbers of security police stood by.
11. preposition
If a person or vehicle goes by you, they move past you without stopping.
A few cars passed close by me.
He kept walking and passed by me on his side of the street.
By is also an adverb.
The bomb went off as a police patrol went by.
12. preposition
If you stop by a place, you visit it for a short time.
We had made arrangements to stop by her house in Pacific Grove.
Daddy called and asked me to drop by his office.
By is also an adverb.
I'll stop by after dinner and we'll have that talk.
13. preposition
If something happens by a particular time, it happens at or before that time.
By eight o'clock he had arrived at my hotel.
We all knew by then that the affair was practically over.
Synonyms: before, prior to, earlier than, in advance of More Synonyms of by
14. preposition
If you do something by day, you do it during the day. If you do it by night, you do it during the night.
By day a woman could safely walk the streets, but at night the pavements became dangerous.
She had no wish to hurry alone through the streets of London by night.
15. preposition
In arithmetic, you use by before the second number in a multiplication or division sum.
...an apparent annual rate of 22.8 per cent (1.9 multiplied by 12).
230cm divided by 22cm is 10.45cm.
16. preposition
You use by to talk about measurements of area. For example, if a room is twenty feet by fourteen feet, it measures twenty feet in one direction and fourteen feet in the other direction.
Three prisoners were sharing one small cell 3 metres by 2 metres.
17. preposition
If something increases or decreases by a particular amount, that amount is gained or lost.
Violent crime has increased by 10 percent since last year.
Their pay has been cut by one-third.
18. preposition
Things that are made or sold by the million or by the dozen are made or sold in those quantities.
Parcels arrived by the dozen from America.
Liberty fabrics, both for furnishing and for dress-making, are sold by the metre.
19. preposition
You use by in expressions such as 'minute by minute' and 'drop by drop' to talk about things that happen gradually, not all at once.
His father began to lose his memory bit by bit, becoming increasingly forgetful.
20.
See by yourself
21.
See by yourself
More Synonyms of by
English Easy Learning GrammarPrepositionsA preposition is one of a small but very common group of words that relate differentitems to each other. Most English prepositions have a number of meanings ... Read more
by in British English1
(baɪ)
preposition
1.
used to indicate the agent after a passive verb
seeds eaten by the birds
2.
used to indicate the person responsible for a creative work
this song is by Schubert
3.
via; through
enter by the back door
4.
followed by a gerund to indicate a means used
he frightened her by hiding behind the door
5.
beside; next to; near
a tree by the house
6.
passing the position of; past
he drove by the old cottage
7.
not later than; before
return the books by Tuesday
8.
used to indicate extent, after a comparative
it is hotter by five degrees than it was yesterday
9.
(esp in oaths) invoking the name of
I swear by all the gods
10.
multiplied by
four by three equals twelve
11. (in habitual sentences)
during the passing of (esp in the phrases by day, by night)
12.
placed between measurements of the various dimensions of something
a plank fourteen inches by seven
adverb
13.
near
the house is close by
14.
away; aside
he put some money by each week for savings
15.
passing a point near something; past
he drove by
16. Scottish
past; over and done with
that's all by now
17. Scottish
aside; behind one
you should put that by for later
nounWord forms: pluralbyes
18. a variant spelling of bye1
Word origin
Old English bī; related to Gothic bi, Old High German bī, Sanskrit abhi to, towards
by in British English2
the internet domain name for
Belarus
by- in British English
or bye-
prefix
1.
near
bystander
2.
secondary or incidental
by-effect
by-election
bypath
by-product
Word origin
from by
by in American English
(baɪ)
preposition
1.
near in space; beside; at
stand by the wall
2.
a.
in or during the time of
travel by night
b.
not later than
be back by ten o'clock
3.
a.
via; through, along, or over
driving home by the dirt road
b.
past; beyond
to march by the reviewing stand
c.
to or within a distance of
missed the putt by a foot
4.
toward
north by northwest
5.
in behalf of
he did well by his friends
6.
with respect to (a given category)
a lawyer by profession
7.
a.
through the means, work, or operations of
a trip by train, a pact reached by negotiation, made by craftsmen, poems (written) by Poe
b.
through the activity or effort of
used before gerunds
he won by practicing daily
8.
produced with (the other parent)
a son by my first husband
9.
following in series
marching two by two
10.
a.
with the authority or sanction of
by your leave
b.
according to; in a manner consistent with
playing by the rules
c.
in the name of
used in oaths
by all that's holy
d. Informal
in the opinion of
the plans are OK by me
11.
a.
in the amount of, or to the extent or degree of
apples by the peck
b.
at the rate or pace of
growing dark by degrees
c.
and in another dimension
two feet by four feet
12.
using (the given number) as multiplier or divisor
adverb
13.
close at hand; near
stand by
14.
away; aside
we have put money by
15.
close in passing; past
the car sped by
16. US
at the place specified or understood
stop by on your way home
adjective, noun
17. alt. sp. of
bye
Idioms:
by and by
by and large
by oneself
by the by
Word origin
ME by, bi, be < OE be (unstressed), bi (stressed) < Gmc *bi, around, about, akin to Gr amphi, L ambi: see by-, be; orig. adv. of place, meaning “beside, near,” but already highly specialized prep.in OE
by- in American English
(baɪ)
1.
close by; near
bystander
2.
side
bystreet
3.
on the side; secondary; incidental to the main
byproduct
Word origin
< by
Examples of 'by' in a sentence
by
I waited behind a tree by the road nearby that cuts through the park.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
She made no comment on arrival at Heathrow, where she was picked up by a member of the family.
Hugo Wilcken THE EXECUTION (2002)
It may further interest you to know that I plan to expose the ignorance of the gardai by- "
Bringle, Mary DEATH OF AN UNKNOWN MAN (2002)
Word lists with
by
text messaging, international car registration letters, internet, abbreviations and symbols
In other languages
by
British English: by /baɪ/ PREPOSITION
If something is done by a person or thing, that person or thing does it.
Dinner was cooked by the children.
American English: by
Arabic: بِواسِطَة
Brazilian Portuguese: por
Chinese: 在...旁边
Croatian: od
Czech: u
Danish: af
Dutch: door
European Spanish: por autor
Finnish: kautta
French: par
German: bei
Greek: παρά
Italian: da
Japanese: ･･･によって
Korean: ...곁에서
Norwegian: ved
Polish: przez
European Portuguese: por
Romanian: de
Russian: силами
Latin American Spanish: por mediante
Swedish: vid
Thai: โดย
Turkish: tarafından
Ukrainian: з
Vietnamese: bởi
All related terms of 'by'
do by
to treat in the manner specified
go by
If you say that time goes by , you mean that it passes.
by ear
without reading from written music
by far
You use the expression by far when you are comparing something or someone with others of the same kind , in order to emphasize how great the difference is between them. For example , you can say that something is by far the best or the best by far to indicate that it is definitely the best.
by law
If you have to do something by law or if you are not allowed to do something by law , the law states that you have to do it or that you are not allowed to do it.
get by
If you can get by with what you have, you can manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way.
lay-by
A lay-by is a short strip of road by the side of a main road, where cars can stop for a while.
put by
If you put money by , you save it so that you can use it later .
run by
If you run something by someone, you tell them about it or mention it, to see if they think it is a good idea , or can understand it.
sit by
If you sit by while something wrong or illegal is happening , you allow it to happen and do not do anything about it.
bide by
to abide by
blow-by
the leakage of gas past the piston of an engine at maximum pressure
by-blow
a passing or incidental blow
by-form
a subsidiary or variant form
by gum!
by God!
by half
If you increase something by half , half of the original amount is added to it. If you decrease it by half , half of the original amount is taken away from it.
by hand
If you do something by hand , you do it using your hands rather than a machine.
by Jove
an exclamation of surprise or excitement
by name
When you mention someone or something by name , or address someone by name , you use their name.
by-play
secondary action or talking carried on apart while the main action proceeds , esp in a play
by rote
by repetition ; by heart (often in the phrase learn by rote )
come by
To come by something means to obtain it or find it.
drop by
If you drop by , you visit someone informally.
fast by
close or hard by; very near
hard by
near; close by
pass by
If you pass by something, you go past it or near it on your way to another place.
sped by
→ speed
stop by
If you stop by somewhere , you make a short visit to a person or place.
tick by
by and by
presently or eventually
by the by
incidentally
abide by
If you abide by a law , agreement , or decision , you do what it says you should do.
by-bidder
a bidder at an auction who bids up the price of an item for the benefit of a seller
by birth
If, for example , you are French by birth , you are French because your parents are French, or because you were born in France .
by-catch
unwanted fish and other sea animals caught in a fishing net along with the desired kind of fish
by chance
Something that happens by chance was not planned by anyone.
by design
If something happens or is done by design , someone does it deliberately, rather than by accident .
by halves
without being thorough or exhaustive
by heart
If you know something such as a poem by heart , you have learned it so well that you can remember it without having to read it.
by jingo
an exclamation of surprise
by nature
essentially or innately
by repute
If you know someone by repute , you have never met them but you have heard or read about them.
by return
by the next post back to the sender
by right
properly; justly
by rights
If something is not the case but you think that it should be, you can say that by rights it should be the case.
by sight
by appearance; by recognizing but not through being acquainted
by turns
You can use by turns to indicate that someone has two particular emotions or qualities, one after the other.
by water
by ship or boat
by weight
as determined by weighing
drive-by
A drive-by shooting or a drive-by murder involves shooting someone from a moving car .
Chinese translation of 'by'
by
(baɪ)
prep
(referring to cause, agent) 被 (bèi)
he was struck by a football他被足球打中了 (tā bèi zúqiú dǎ zhòng le)
a painting by Picasso毕(畢)加索的画(畫) (Bìjiāsuǒ de huà)
surrounded by a fence由篱(籬)笆围(圍)着(著) (yóu líba wéizhe)
(referring to method, manner, means)
by bus/car/train乘公共汽车(車)/汽车(車)/火车(車) (chéng gōnggòngqìchē/qìchē/huǒchē)
to pay by cheque以支票支付 (yǐ zhīpiào zhīfù)
she grabbed him by the arm她抓住了他的胳膊 (tā zhuāzhù le tāde gēbo)
by moonlight/candlelight借助月光/烛(燭)光 (jièzhù yuèguāng/zhúguāng)
by saving hard, you can ... 通过(過)使劲(勁)攒(攢)钱(錢)，你能 ... (tōngguò shǐjìn zǎnqián, nǐ néng ... )
(= via, through) 经(經)由 (jīngyóu)
he came in by the back door他从(從)后(後)门(門)进(進)来(來) (tā cóng hòumén jìnlai)
(= close to, beside) 靠近 (kàojìn)
he was standing by the door他正站在门(門)边(邊) (tā zhèng zhànzài ménbiān)
the house by the river河边(邊)的房子 (hébiān de fángzi)
(= past) 经(經)过(過) (jīngguò)
she rushed by me她急匆匆地从(從)我身边(邊)过(過)去 (tā jícōngcōng de cóng wǒ shēnbiān guòqù)
(with times, dates, years) 以前 (yǐqián)
by 4 o'clock4点(點)以前 (sì diǎn yǐqián)
by April 74月7号(號)以前 (sì yuè qī hào yǐqián)
by 20052005年以前 (èrlínglíngwǔ nián yǐqián)
by this time tomorrow到明天这(這)个(個)时(時)候 (dào míngtiān zhège shíhou)
by the time I got here到我到这(這)儿(兒)的时(時)候 (dào wǒ dào zhèr de shíhou)
by now/then到如今/那时(時) (dào rújīn/nàshí)
(= during)
by day/night在白天/晚上 (zài báitiān/wǎnshang)
(specifying number, quantity, rate) 按 (àn)
sold by the kilo/metre按公斤/米卖(賣) (àn gōngjīn/mǐ mài)
paid by the hour按小时(時)付酬 (àn xiǎoshí fùchóu)
parcels arrived by the dozen按打发(發)来(來)的包裹 (àn dá fālái de bāoguǒ)
little by little, bit by bit一点(點)一点(點)地 (yīdiǎn-yīdiǎn de)
(specifying degree of change) 相差 (xiāngchà)
crime has increased by 10 per cent犯罪率上升了10% (fànzuìlǜ shàngshēngle bǎi fēn zhī shí)
(in measurements)
a room 3 metres by 4一间(間)长(長)3米宽(寬)4米的房间(間) (yī jiān cháng sān mǐ kuān sì mǐ de fángjiān)
it's broader by a metre宽(寬)了1米 (kuānle yi mǐ)
(Math)
to divide/multiply by 3被3除/乘 (bèi sān chú/chéng)
(= according to)
by law按照法律 (ànzhào fǎlǜ)
to play by the rules按规(規)则(則)玩游(遊)戏(戲) (àn guīzé wán yóuxì)
it's all right by me对(對)我来(來)说(說)没(沒)问(問)题(題) (duì wǒ lái shuō méi wèntí)
by profession/birth/nature就职(職)业(業)/祖籍/天性而言 (jiù zhíyè/zǔjí/tiānxìng ér yán)
by and by (in the past) 不久以后(後) (bùjiǔ yǐhòu) (in the future) 不久 (bùjiǔ)
by and large大体(體)说(說)来(來) (dàtǐ shuō lái)
如果你说 I'll be home by ten o'clock，你的意思是你要在10点或10点以前到家，但绝不会晚于10点。如果你说 I'll be home before ten o'clock，你的意思是10点是你到家的最晚时间，你可能9点以前就到家了。如果你说 I'll be at home until ten o'clock，你的意思是10点以前你会在家里，但10点以后就不在了。当我们谈论某人写了一本书或剧本、导演了一部电影、作了一部乐曲或画了一幅画时，我们说一部作品是 by 那个人或是 written by 那个人。 a collection of piano pieces by Mozart 当我们谈到某人给你写信或留言时，我们说信或留言是 from 那个人。 He received a letter from his brother.
All related terms of 'by'
go by
( vehicle, years, time ) 过(過)去 guòqù
by 2005
2005年以前 èrlínglíngwǔ nián yǐqián
by air
( flying ) 乘飞(飛)机(機) chéng fēijī
by car
乘汽车(車) chéng qìchē
by day
在白天 zài báitiān
by far
... 得多 ... de duō ⇒ She was by far the best swimmer. → 她显然是最好的游泳者。 Tā xiǎnrán shì zuì hǎo de yóuyǒngzhě.
by law
按照法律 ànzhào fǎlǜ
by mail
以邮(郵)寄方式 yǐ yóujì fāngshì
by now
到现(現)在 dào xiànzài ⇒ He should be here by now. → 他现在应该到了。 Tā xiànzài yīnggāi dào le. ⇒ By now he'll be home and in bed. → 现在，他一定到了家，上床休息了。 Xiànzài, tā yīdìng dàole jiā, shàngchuáng xiūxi le.
▶ to run sth by sb ( inf ) 看某人对(對)某事的反应(應) kàn mǒurén duì mǒushì de fǎnyìng
stop by
顺(順)便过(過)访(訪) shùnbiàn guòfǎng
by and by
( in the past ) 不久以后(後) bùjiǔ yǐhòu
abide by
( rule, decision ) 遵守 zūnshǒu
bound by
( law, regulation ) 被 ... 约(約)束 bèi ... yuēshù
by night
夜间(間) yèjiān ⇒ They travelled by night to avoid detection. → 他们夜间赶路以免被人察觉。 Tāmen yèjiān gǎnlù yǐmiǎn bèi rén chájué.
by phone
通过(過)电(電)话(話) tōngguò diànhuà
by proxy
由代理人 yóu dàilǐrén
stand by
( be ready ) 作好准(準)备(備) zuòhǎo zhǔnbèi
stand-by
后(後)备(備) hòubèi
stick by
( person ) 忠于(於) zhōngyú
swear by
▶ I swear by it/them 我极(極)其信赖(賴)某事/他们(們) wǒ jíqí xìnlài mǒushì/tāmen
by chance
偶然 ǒurán
by design
( on purpose ) 故意地 gùyì de
by itself
( unaided ) 自己独(獨)立地 zìjǐ dúlì de ⇒ The cat managed to climb down the tree by itself. → 猫自己设法爬下了树。 Māo zìjǐ shèfǎ páxiàle shù.
by myself
( unaided ) 我独(獨)力地 wǒ dúlì de ⇒ I did it all by myself. → 这都是我自己一个人独力做的。 Zhè dōu shì wǒ zìjǐ yī gè rén dúlì zuò de.
by rights
按道理 àn dàolǐ
passer-by
过(過)路人 guòlùrén [ 个(個) gè ]
squeak by
勉强(強)通过(過) miǎnqiǎng tōngguò
by accident
( unintentionally ) 无(無)意中 wúyì zhōng
by airmail
航空邮(郵)寄 hángkōng yóujì
by analogy
用类(類)推法 yòng lèituīfǎ
by degrees
( gradually ) 逐渐(漸)地 zhújiàn de
by herself
( unaided ) 她独(獨)立地 tā dúlì de ⇒ She painted the house by herself. → 她自己一个人粉刷了房子。 Ta zìjǐ yī gè rén fěnshuāle fángzi.
by himself
( unaided ) 他独(獨)立地 tā dúlì de ⇒ He painted the house by himself. → 他自己一个人粉刷了房子。 Ta zìjǐ yī gè rén fěnshuāle fángzi.
by machine
用机(機)器制(製)造 yòng jīqì zhìzào
by oneself
( unaided ) 独(獨)力地 dúlì de ⇒ One should learn to deal with one's problems by oneself. → 每个人应该学会自己独立解决问题。 Měigè rén yīnggāi xué huì zìjǐ dúlì jiějué wèntí.
by yourself
( unaided ) 独(獨)立地 dúlì de ⇒ Did you make the cake by yourself? → 你自己一个人做了蛋糕? Nǐ zìjǐ yī gè rén zuòle dàngāo?
by-election
补(補)缺选(選)举(舉) bǔquē xuǎnjǔ
by-product
( of industrial process ) 副产(產)品 fùchǎnpǐn
followed by
接着(著)是 jiēzhe shì
1 (preposition)
Definition
used to indicate the person responsible for a creative work
The feast was served by smart waiters in black shirts.
Synonyms
through
via
with the help of
by virtue of
with the aid of
under the aegis of
through the agency of
2 (preposition)
Definition
via
The train passes by Oxford.
Synonyms
via
over
by way of
3 (preposition)
Definition
passing the position of
She was sitting in a rocking chair by the window.
Synonyms
near
past
along
close to
closest to
neighbouring
next to
beside
nearest to
adjoining
adjacent to
4 (preposition)
Definition
not later than
We all knew by then that the affair was practically over.
Synonyms
before
prior to
earlier than
in advance of
no later than
1 (adverb)
Definition
near
Large numbers of security police stood by.
Synonyms
nearby
He might easily have been seen by someone who lived nearby.