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by
1[ bahy ]
preposition
- near to or next to:
a home by a lake.
- over the surface of, through the medium of, along, or using as a route:
He came by the highway. She arrived by air.
- on, as a means of conveyance:
They arrived by ship.
- to and beyond the vicinity of; past:
He went by the church.
- within the extent or period of; during:
by day; by night.
- not later than; at or before:
I usually finish work by five o'clock.
- to the extent or amount of:
The new house is larger than the old one by a great deal. He's taller than his sister by three inches.
- from the opinion, evidence, or authority of:
By his own account he was in Chicago at the time. I know him by sight.
- according to; in conformity with:
This is a bad movie by any standards.
- with (something) at stake; on:
to swear by all that is sacred.
- through the agency, efficacy, work, participation, or authority of:
The book was published by Random House.
- from the hand, mind, invention, or creativity of:
She read a poem by Emily Dickinson. The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison.
- in consequence, as a result, or on the basis of:
We met by chance. We won the game by forfeit.
- accompanied with or in the atmosphere of:
Lovers walk by moonlight.
- in treatment or support of; for:
He did well by his children.
- after; next after, as of the same items in a series:
piece by piece; little by little.
- (in multiplication) taken the number of times as that specified by the second number, or multiplier:
Multiply 18 by 57.
- (in measuring shapes) having an adjoining side of, as a width relative to a length:
a room 10 feet by 12 feet.
- (in division) separated into the number of equal parts as that specified by the second number, or divisor:
Divide 99 by 33.
- in terms or amounts of; in measuring units of:
Apples are sold by the bushel. I'm paid by the week.
- begot or born of:
Eve had two sons by Adam.
- (of quadrupeds) having as a sire:
Equipoise II by Equipoise.
- Navigation. (as used in the names of the 16 smallest points on the compass) one point toward the east, west, north, or south of N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, or NW, respectively:
He sailed NE by N from Pago Pago.
- into, at, or to:
Come by my office this afternoon.
adverb
- near; in the immediate vicinity; at hand:
The school is close by.
- to and beyond a point near something; past:
The car drove by.
- aside; away:
Put your work by for the moment. Over the years, she laid by enough money to retire.
- over; past:
in times gone by.
- by me,
- (in bridge and other bidding card games) a declaration that the speaker is passing.
- (in poker) a declaration that the speaker is checking:
Is my pair of tens still high? By me.
adjective
- situated to one side:
They came down a by passage.
- secondary, incidental:
It was only a by comment.
noun
by-
2- a combining form of by:
by-product; bystander; byway.
by-
1prefix
- near
bystander
- secondary or incidental
by-product
by-effect
by-path
by-election
by
2/ ɪ /
preposition
- used to indicate the agent after a passive verb
seeds eaten by the birds
- used to indicate the person responsible for a creative work
this song is by Schubert
- via; through
enter by the back door
- followed by a gerund to indicate a means used
he frightened her by hiding behind the door
- beside; next to; near
a tree by the house
- passing the position of; past
he drove by the old cottage
- not later than; before
return the books by Tuesday
- used to indicate extent, after a comparative
it is hotter by five degrees than it was yesterday
- (esp in oaths) invoking the name of
I swear by all the gods
- multiplied by
four by three equals twelve
- in habitual sentences during the passing of (esp in the phrases by day , by night )
- placed between measurements of the various dimensions of something
a plank fourteen inches by seven
adverb
- near
the house is close by
- away; aside
he put some money by each week for savings
- passing a point near something; past
he drove by
- past; over and done with
that's a' by now
- aside; behind one
you must put that by you
noun
- a variant spelling of bye 1
by
3the internet domain name for
- Belarus
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of by1
Origin of by2
Idioms and Phrases
- by and by, in a short time; before long; presently:
The clouds will disappear by and by.
- by and large, in general; on the whole:
By and large, there is much to be said for the new system.
- by the by. bye 1( def 6 ).
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
According to Leo Peak, a real estate agent at Peak Family Real Estate Group, many homeowners are currently feeling the "golden handcuffs" effect of being locked into their homes by historically low mortgage rates.
Friday they outscored New Orleans by two in their minutes together.
She was also photographed in a white wedding gown surrounded by film crew for a scene believed to be her marriage to Heathcliff's rival, Edgar Linton.
They exorcised their rivalry demons by defeating the Trojans in the Big Ten tournament for their first conference tournament championship since 2006.
The fires are believed to have been caused by a combination of sparks from the cars and dry grass - Japan's wet season is in the summer.
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Related 51Թs
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.
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