to go by
91
1.8
- phrasal verb
- /ɡoʊ baɪ/
:
guiarse por
- I had nothing to go by except Kath's instinct, but that was good enough for me.
- go by the book
So what I'd say is I can only go by the way I feel, right.
- So what I'd say is I can only go by the way I feel, right.
- So you cannot just go by what is happening on the surface.
- Well, in order to understand that we probably can't just go by those signs.
- So you can't go by what your eyes see and your ears hear.
- So I'm just saying, you know, let's go by the rules.
- Well, because we know so little, we tend to go by beliefs.
- So what are some gems, phrases or philosophies that you go by that have contributed to your success?
- It was a good lesson that that scale that I usually go by is not always accurate.
- And the the thing with flour really is you should go by weight.
- So it was like a nice, nice round Number to go by.
- Concerts, they they don't go by the same rhythm as they do in their like tracks.
- And just the point of this emotional rant is that don't just go by what you see.
Examples
-
from this day forward, i will always go by the book.
-
He's gotta go by the book, you know.
-
I would stay if you go by the book.
-
These things go by the book.
-
You have to get your plan down on paper and then go by the numbers.
Academic text (2010) -
So we have to go by just what's available.
-
Just be careful and go by the protocol on this.
-
As always, when faced with a dilemma, he planned to go by his own set of rules.
Fiction book (1990) -
In this, I shall have to go by the wishes of my widowed mother.
Fiction book (1992) -
To ensure safety, we must always go by the established guidelines during the experiment.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To act according to rules, advice, or beliefs
411
1.0
Do what someone in charge tells you or follow a rule
332
3.8
Do what a rule or person asks
114
3.4
To follow a rule or law
96
3.2
Think and act like other people or follow rules
93
3.4
To follow a rule or tradition by doing what it asks
87
4.7
Continue to follow and support a rule, belief, or person
79
3.5
To accept and follow a rule, decision, or agreement
79
3.9
To follow rules or instructions
55
2.8
Do what a rule says
50
3.7
Do what rules or standards say you must
18
4.3
To follow rules or other people after not wanting to at first
9
5.4
To do what people in charge expect and follow the rules exactly
2
3.3
Do each required step in the correct order
1
3.4
Follow rules or laws that apply to you
Antonyms
How Strict
Surface Forms
Morphology
go + by
The meaning 'to pass or elapse' is directly derivable from combining 'go' (to move/advance) with 'by' (indicating movement past something): time is conceptualized as moving past, so the composite meaning is a straightforward motion metaphor. This mapping is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English particle/preposition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Go by when it means to follow a rule may come from the idea of moving along beside a guide or a sign that tells you what to do. The phrase suggests you 'go' next to that guide, so it means 'to follow' or act according to a rule.