by (A1)

preposition

Pronunciation: /baɪ/

Definition

Used to indicate a point in time, no later than.

Examples

• Please finish the report by Friday.

• The package should arrive by tomorrow.

• We need to leave by noon.

How to Use by

by the time (collocation)

At the point when. — "By the time we arrived, the show had started."

by hand (collocation)

Made or done using hands, not machines. — "The dress was made by hand."

by oneself (collocation)

Alone; without help. — "He likes to work by himself."

by and by (idiom)

Eventually; in the future. — "We will understand by and by."

Synonyms of by

Words with a similar meaning to by:

• near
• through
• via
• according to

Antonyms of by

Words with the opposite meaning to by:

• from
• away from

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