by

bypreposition

By connects an action or a thing to what is near it, what causes it, how it happens, the amount it changes by, or the limit it must reach.

1. close to or pastclose to or beside someone or something, or moving past it

   • She was standing by the window.
   • There's a lamp by the bed.
   • A car sped by us.
   • We walked by the old school without stopping.

   Collocations

   preposition + noun by the door, by the window

   Compare until; through; via; with

2. the doer of an actionused to show who or what does an action, especially in the passive

   • The book was written by a famous author.
   • The window was broken by the storm.
   • This song was recorded by a new band.
   • The decision was made by the committee.

   Collocations

   verb + preposition written by, caused by, made by

3. means or methodusing a particular method, way, or means to do something

   • We traveled by train.
   • She paid by credit card.
   • He learned English by watching movies.
   • Contact us by email.

   Collocations

   phrase by train, by hand, by mistake, by chance

4. not later thannot later than a particular time

   • Please finish the report by Friday.
   • We need to arrive by six o'clock.
   • The applications must be submitted by the end of the month.

   Compare until (by a time means "at or before" that time, so the action can happen earlier; until means a situation continues right up to that time and then stops)

5. the amount of a changeused to show the amount or degree of a difference or change

   • Prices rose by ten percent.
   • She missed the bus by two minutes.
   • The team won by three points.

6. measurementsused between two measurements to show the size of something

   • The rug is six feet by nine feet.
   • The room measures ten by twelve.