by-and-by

[ bahy-uh n-bahy ]

/ ˌbaɪ ənˈbaɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR by-and-by ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the future: to meet in the sweet by-and-by.

Origin of by-and-by

1300–50; Middle English bi and bi one by one, at once. See by¹

Words nearby by-and-by

by virtue of, by way of, by weight, by word of mouth, by-, by-and-by, by-bidder, by-blow, by-catch, by-election, by-form

Definition for by and by (2 of 2)

by ¹

[ bahy ]

/ baɪ /

preposition

near to or next to: a home by a lake.

over the surface of, through the medium of, along, or using as a route: He came by the highway. She arrived by air.

on, as a means of conveyance: They arrived by ship.

to and beyond the vicinity of; past: He went by the church.

within the extent or period of; during: by day; by night.

not later than; at or before: I usually finish work by five o'clock.

to the extent or amount of: The new house is larger than the old one by a great deal. He's taller than his sister by three inches.

from the opinion, evidence, or authority of: By his own account he was in Chicago at the time. I know him by sight.

according to; in conformity with: This is a bad movie by any standards.

with (something) at stake; on: to swear by all that is sacred.

through the agency, efficacy, work, participation, or authority of: The book was published by Random House.

from the hand, mind, invention, or creativity of: She read a poem by Emily Dickinson. The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison.

in consequence, as a result, or on the basis of: We met by chance. We won the game by forfeit.

accompanied with or in the atmosphere of: Lovers walk by moonlight.

in treatment or support of; for: He did well by his children.

after; next after, as of the same items in a series: piece by piece; little by little.

(in multiplication) taken the number of times as that specified by the second number, or multiplier: Multiply 18 by 57.

(in measuring shapes) having an adjoining side of, as a width relative to a length: a room 10 feet by 12 feet.

(in division) separated into the number of equal parts as that specified by the second number, or divisor: Divide 99 by 33.

in terms or amounts of; in measuring units of: Apples are sold by the bushel. I'm paid by the week.

begot or born of: Eve had two sons by Adam.

(of quadrupeds) having as a sire: Equipoise II by Equipoise.

Navigation. (as used in the names of the 16 smallest points on the compass) one point toward the east, west, north, or south of N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, or NW, respectively: He sailed NE by N from Pago Pago.

into, at, or to: Come by my office this afternoon.

adverb

near; in the immediate vicinity; at hand: The school is close by.

to and beyond a point near something; past: The car drove by.

aside; away: Put your work by for the moment. Over the years, she laid by enough money to retire.

over; past: in times gone by.

by me,

(in bridge and other bidding card games) a declaration that the speaker is passing.
(in poker) a declaration that the speaker is checking: Is my pair of tens still high? By me.

adjective Also bye.

situated to one side: They came down a by passage.

secondary, incidental: It was only a by comment.

noun, plural byes.

bye¹.

Origin of by

before 900; Middle English; Old English bī; cognate with Dutch bij, Old High German bī (German bei), Gothic bi. See be-

synonym study for by

11. By, through, with indicate agency or means of getting something done or accomplished. By is regularly used to denote the agent (person or force) in passive constructions: It is done by many; destroyed by fire. It also indicates means: Send it by airmail. With denotes the instrument (usually consciously) employed by an agent: He cut it with the scissors. Through designates particularly immediate agency or instrumentality or reason or motive: through outside aid; to yield through fear; wounded through carelessness.

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (1 of 3)

by and by

adverb

presently or eventually

noun by-and-by

US and Canadian a future time or occasion

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (2 of 3)

by ¹

/ (baɪ) /

preposition

used to indicate the agent after a passive verb seeds eaten by the birds

used to indicate the person responsible for a creative work this song is by Schubert

via; through enter by the back door

followed by a gerund to indicate a means used he frightened her by hiding behind the door

beside; next to; near a tree by the house

passing the position of; past he drove by the old cottage

not later than; before return the books by Tuesday

used to indicate extent, after a comparative it is hotter by five degrees than it was yesterday

(esp in oaths) invoking the name of I swear by all the gods

multiplied by four by three equals twelve

(in habitual sentences) during the passing of (esp in the phrases by day, by night)

placed between measurements of the various dimensions of something a plank fourteen inches by seven

adverb

near the house is close by

away; aside he put some money by each week for savings

passing a point near something; past he drove by

Scot past; over and done with that's a' by now

Scot aside; behind one you must put that by you

noun plural byes

a variant spelling of bye 1

Word Origin for by

Old English bī; related to Gothic bi, Old High German bī, Sanskrit abhi to, towards

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (3 of 3)

by ²

the internet domain name for

Belarus

Idioms and Phrases with by and by

by and by

After a while, soon, as in She'll be along by and by. The expression probably relies on the meaning of by as a succession of quantities (as in “two by two”). This adverbial phrase came to be used as a noun, denoting either procrastination or the future. William Camden so used it for the former (Remains, 1605): “Two anons and a by and by is an hour and a half.” And W.S. Gilbert used it in the latter sense when Lady Jane sings plaintively that little will be left of her “in the coming by and by,” that is, as she grows old (Patience, 1881). [Early 1500s]

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

by-and-by

noun

Origin of by-and-by

Words nearby by-and-by

Definition for by and by (2 of 2)

preposition

adverb

adjective Also bye.

noun, plural byes.

Origin of by

synonym study for by

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (1 of 3)

adverb

noun by-and-by

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (2 of 3)

preposition

adverb

noun plural byes

Word Origin for by

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (3 of 3)

the internet domain name for

Idioms and Phrases with by and by

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

by-and-by

noun

Origin of by-and-by

Words nearby by-and-by

Definition for by and by (2 of 2)

preposition

adverb

adjective Also bye.

noun, plural byes.

Origin of by

synonym study for by

Words related to by and by

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (1 of 3)

adverb

noun by-and-by

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (2 of 3)

preposition

adverb

noun plural byes

Word Origin for by

British Dictionary definitions for by and by (3 of 3)

the internet domain name for

Idioms and Phrases with by and by