overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

by.

Near or next to.

2 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

prep/baɪ/
  1. Near or next to.

    The mailbox is by the bus stop.
  2. From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.

    The stream runs by our back door.
    He ran straight by me.
  3. Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval); before.

    Be back by ten o'clock!
    We'll find someone by the end of March.
  4. After a given amount of time has elapsed or a given event has occurred.

    By February, we were all sick of the cold.
    By the time I realized I had left my phone at home, I was already two blocks from work.
  5. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of. Following a passive verb.

    The matter was decided by the chairman.
    The boat was swamped by the water.
  6. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of. Following a noun.

  7. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of. Following an adjective.

  8. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.

    There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare
  9. Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of.

    I'd know you anywhere by your gravelly voice.
    I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking.
  10. Indicates an authority according to which something is done.

    By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
    I live by my own code of ethics.
  11. Indicates an authority according to which something is done. Invokes an authority in an oath.

    By Jove! I think she's got it!
    By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this.
  12. Indicates a means of classification or organisation.

    I sorted the items by category.
    Table 1 shows details of our employees broken down by sex and age.
  13. Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy

    Our stock is up by ten percent.
    We won by six goals to three.
  14. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another.

    We went through the book page by page.
    We crawled forward by inches.
  15. [with the] Acted on in units of the specified size or measure. (Sometimes hyperbolically)

    While sitting listening to the radio by the hour, she can drink brandy by the bucketful!
    He sits listening to the radio by the hour.
  16. Per; with or in proportion to each.

    His health was deteriorating by the day.
    The pickers are paid by the fortnight by the American bushel.
  17. Indicates a referenced source: According to.

    He cheated by his own admission.
    By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.
  18. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something.

    It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix.
    The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot.
  19. Multiplied by or (chiefly South Asia) divided by.

  20. Designates a horse's sire (“male parent”).

    She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress.
  21. At; with; among.

    Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of)
    By Chabad, it's different.
  22. In a windward direction, sailing near to the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by English by From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

adv/baɪ/
  1. Along a path which runs past someone or something.

    not-comparable
    I watched the parade as it passed by.
  2. In the vicinity, near.

    not-comparable
    There was a shepherd close by.
  3. To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.

    not-comparable
    I'll stop by on my way home from work.
    We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave.
  4. Aside, away.

    not-comparable
    The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
  5. Beyond or past a certain point.

    not-comparable
    I'll somehow manage to get by.
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by English by From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

adj/baɪ/
  1. Out of the way, off to one side.

    not-comparable
    a by path; a by room
  2. Subsidiary, incidental.

    not-comparable
    by catch; a by issue
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by English by From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

noun/baɪ/
  1. Alternative form of bye.

    alt-of · alternative
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by English by From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

intj/baɪ/
  1. Dated form of bye (“goodbye”).

    alt-of · dated
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bi Proto-West Germanic *bī Old English bī Middle English by English by From Middle English by, bi, from Old English bī (“by; near; around”), from Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near; by; around; about”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi. Cognate with West Frisian by (“by; near”), Afrikaans by (“at; by; near”), Saterland Frisian bie (“near; by”), Dutch bij (“near; by”), German Low German bi (“by; near; at”), German bei (“by; near; at”).

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

by has 2 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

by studioby workshello, by

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.