by

The word “by” means near or next to something. In plain terms, one of English's most common small words — showing nearness, a deadline, an agent, or a method.

“By” is pronounced beye (/baɪ/ in IPA).

Here is “by” used in a sentence: “She sat by the window all evening.”

The opposite of “by” — its antonyms — are main and principal.

“By” is a preposition.

The word “by” comes from Old English. From Old English bī ("near, by, around"), an ancient Germanic preposition related to German bei and Dutch bij.

“By” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“By” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: near or next to something.

"By" means no later than a point in time — the action happens at or before that moment ("Send it by Friday"). "Until" describes a state continuing up to a point ("The shop is open until five"). If something is completed at a deadline, use "by"; if it carries on up to that time, use "until."

Both describe closeness, but "by" usually suggests being right next to something ("a house by the river"), while "near" allows more distance ("a house near the river" could be a street away). "By" is the tighter, more immediate of the two.

They sound identical but mean different things: "by" is a preposition ("by the door," "by Monday"), "buy" is a verb meaning to purchase, and "bye" is an informal goodbye or, in sport, a free pass to the next round. Because the three are perfect homophones, spelling mix-ups are common.