by (EN)

preposition, adverb, adjective

preposition “by”

1. located close to or next to
   Sign up to see the translation of definitions and examples into any language.

   The children played by the old oak tree.
2. moving from one side to the other side near something
   A cat slipped by the house unnoticed.
3. before or at a specified time
   I need to finish this report by Friday.
4. indicates the person or thing that does something or causes something
   The cake was cut by the birthday girl.
5. created or written by a particular person
   The painting hanging in the hall is by Van Gogh.
6. using a particular method or process
   She got the job by impressing the interviewers with her knowledge.
7. under the authority or permission of
   The judge ruled by the law of the land.
8. swearing or making a promise invoking something or someone as a witness
   By Jove, you've finally understood the equation!
9. arranged or classified according to
   The librarian organized the books by author.
10. by the amount or degree of
    The temperature dropped by five degrees overnight.
11. one after another in a series
    The team tackled the problem step by step.
12. in quantities of
    He was eating cookies by the handful.
13. every
    The company's revenue is increasing by the month.
14. as stated or confessed by
    By the witness's account, the suspect fled the scene.
15. describing dimensions; measuring
    The room measures 10 feet by 12 feet.

adverb “by”

1. moving past a point near the speaker
   As we sat on the porch, the parade went by with music and colorful floats.
2. located close by
   The post office is just by, around the corner.
3. to or at a place
   Can you swing by the store and grab some milk?
4. stored or saved for later use
   She put some money by for her vacation.

adjective “by”

1. located out of the main area; secondary
   We found a quiet by-lane to walk down.
2. not the main focus; secondary or incidental
   The by-product of our invention is a reduction on CO2 emissions.