Definition of by preposition from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

by

preposition

/baɪ/

Idioms

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used for showing how or in what way something is done
- The house is heated by gas.
- May I pay by credit card?
- I will contact you by letter.
- to travel by boat/bus/car/plane
- to travel by air/land/sea
- Switch it on by pressing this button.
near somebody/something; at the side of somebody/something; next to somebody/something
- a house by the river
- Can we have the table by the window?
- Come and sit by me.
used, usually after a passive verb, to show who or what does, creates or causes something
- He was knocked down by a bus.
- a play by Ibsen
- Who's that book by?
- I was frightened by the noise.
Homophones buy | by | bye
buy by bye

/baɪ/

/baɪ/
- buy verb
  Some people buy all their groceries online.
- by preposition
  I think he was motivated by his mother.
- by adverb
  Don't let the opportunity pass you by.
- bye exclamation
  Bye! See you later.
not later than the time mentioned; before
- Can you finish the work by five o'clock?
- I'll have it done by tomorrow.
- By this time next week we'll be in New York.
- He ought to have arrived by now/by this time.
- By the time (that) this letter reaches you I will have left the country.
used before particular nouns without the, to say that something happens as a result of something
- They met by chance.
- I did it by mistake.
- The coroner's verdict was ‘death by misadventure’.
used to show the degree or amount of something
- The bullet missed him by two inches.
- House prices went up by 10%.
- It would be better by far (= much better) to…
during something; in a particular situation
- to travel by day/night
- We had to work by candlelight.
from what something shows or says; according to something
- By my watch it is two o'clock.
- I could tell by the look on her face that something terrible had happened.
- By law, you are a child until you are 18.
past somebody/something
- He walked by me without speaking.
used to show the part of somebody/something that somebody touches, holds, etc.
- I took him by the hand.
- She seized her by the hair.
- Pick it up by the handle!
used with the to show the period or quantity used for buying, selling or measuring something
- We rented the car by the day.
- They're paid by the hour.
- We only sell it by the metre.
used to state the rate at which something happens
- They're improving day by day.
- We'll do it bit by bit.
- It was getting worse by the minute (= very fast).
- The children came in two by two (= in groups of two).
used to show the measurements of something
- The room measures fifteen feet by twenty feet.
used when multiplying or dividing
- 6 multiplied by 2 equals 12.
- 6 divided by 2 equals 3.
used for giving more information about where somebody comes from, what somebody does, etc.
- He's German by birth.
- They're both doctors by profession.
used when swearing to mean ‘in the name of’
- I swear by Almighty God…