by the way
448
1.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
por cierto
- I wanted to mention, by the way, that the meeting has been rescheduled.
- good, by the way
Like if this is real, by the way, right?
- Like if this is real, by the way, right?
- If you've got the guts, by the way, call your mother.
- He still had pain in his foot by the way, but he could play.
- You know, the number one need in all people, by the way, is acceptance.
- They're like, Oh yeah, by the way, it's a nudist day.
- What I sell for free, by the way, is hard.
- Trump says all good guys, by the way, all good guys.
Examples
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By the way, did you hear about the new cafe opening downtown?
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- You were amazing, by the way.
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Like if this is real, by the way, right?
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What I sell for free, by the way, is hard.
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All of which, by the way, was meant to happen.
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You really need health insurance, by the way.
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Where is Eric, by the way?
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"I'm sorry to bring this up, by the way," he mentioned one day.
Fiction book (1991) -
Finally, ready to end the discussion, the judge said to Peter, "By the way, what's in your bag?"
Fiction book (1994) -
And by the way, I put a note in your file so no pharmacy will fill your prescription.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To add another reason or fact
797
7.5
To say something new or surprising to get someone's attention
159
4.8
To add extra information not directly related
1
9.0
To say something extra that is not about the main topic
To add a short extra comment in a message or conversation
To introduce a new topic that is related to what was said
To say something quickly as a side remark, not as the main point
Antonyms
How Related
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + the + way
The literal parts 'by' + 'the way' can suggest a sense of something said 'along the way' or 'in passing', which gives a loose clue to the pragmatic meaning 'incidentally' or 'introducing an aside'. However, its use as a conventional discourse marker to introduce new or unrelated information is pragmatic and somewhat conventionalized, so a B1 learner knowing the words may not fully predict its conversational function without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase by the way may come from the image of someone walking along a path and stepping to the side to say something extra. Think of by as 'near' and the way as the main path, so the phrase now means to add a comment that is 'not directly related' to the main topic.