by
670
1.0
- adverb
- /baɪ/
- UK
- Jill Wollander, a wild girl in years gone by, is now respectable and married to a millionaire.
Examples
-
Please keep your papers by for easy access during the meeting.
-
Temples, farms, and rice paddies slide by, with an occasional glimpse of the Great Wall.
Fiction book (1991) -
I let a few days go by, and then I called to say I was thinking of him.
Academic text (2007) -
But as time went by, I started to wish I knew the rest of it, too.
Fiction book (1993) -
Days went by and days went by, and still I didn't say anything.
Fiction book (1991) -
Women looked up as he passed by, intrigued by his beauty, and one reached out to him.
Fiction book (1991) -
Like the one-room schoolhouse of days gone by, the classrooms serve multiple functions.
Academic text (2003) -
The emergency services are standing by in case of any accidents.
-
The supplies are set by in the storage room for future use.
Synonyms
303
3.1
Saved for a particular purpose or for later use
11
5.8
Put aside and not used now
Idioms
114
2.0
To do something with your hands, for example writing or making things, instead of with a machine
- Informal
19
7.3
In a very risky situation where failure can happen at any moment
19
7.0
To do whatever is needed to reach a goal, even if the actions are difficult or harmful
- Informal
9
4.4
Decide something about a person or thing by how they look
- Offensive
5
9.9
To have complete power over someone by controlling what they need or fear
Compounds
11
7.0
Blaming someone for bad acts because they are friends with guilty people, without proof
- Offensive
9
8.9
Not reliable and likely to disappear quickly, often for dishonest reasons
- US
7
3.2
Date on food that shows the last day shops should keep it on shelves so it is still fresh
5
3.2
A simple painting kit with numbered areas to fill with set colors, or a predictable way of doing something
- Informal
4
7.4
A very difficult test that shows if someone can do a job under pressure
- UK
3
6.0
An election to fill a public office that becomes empty between general elections
- Formal
1
8.1
A way of governing in which a leader makes decisions without parliament's approval
- Literature
1
6.9
News and social media make people judge someone before the court decides
- Specialized
1
8.0
Animals and other sea life that are caught by accident while people fish for other species
- Literature
1
9.1
News outlets that give quick, shallow reports and often miss important facts
1
7.5
A compass direction that is a little east of southeast at about 124 degrees from north
1
6.1
A legal promise that a person charged with a crime gets a quick, public court hearing by a jury
- Specialized
1
6.7
A compass direction slightly north of northeast, about 34 degrees from east
- Specialized
1
7.5
A compass direction slightly west of northwest, about 292 degrees
- Specialized
1
9.9
Shooting at a suspected enemy position to make them respond and show where they are
- Literature
1
9.9
A way to decide if someone is guilty by making them do dangerous tests and seeing if they survive
- UK
1
5.9
A paved area beside a main road where vehicles stop briefly to rest or in an emergency
- Literature
1
8.1
Announcing scientific results to the public before other scientists check them
- Formal
1
7.9
A court decision for one side when the other side does not appear or reply
1
7.5
A compass direction slightly south of southeast, at 157.5 degrees from north
- Specialized
A compass direction one point east of northeast, halfway to east-northeast
A fixed, simple way of doing creative work that leaves little room for new ideas
- Literature
Announcing official decisions to the public by press release before any internal discussion
Surface Forms
Etymology
By comes from an old English word bī meaning 'at the side', so to keep money or food by you keep it 'at your side' or 'set aside' for later.