English words starting with by

Meanings of By:

preposition

Identifying the agent performing an action.

Usage examples:

The door was opened by my cousin annie

adverb

So as to go past.

Usage examples:

A car flashed by on the other side of the road

noun

Variant spelling of bye1.

prefix

Subordinate; incidental; secondary.

Usage examples:

By-election

So as to pass a given point

Meanings of By a whisker:

idiom

By a very small amount

Usage examples:

Last time she raced against the brazilian, she won by a whisker.

Meanings of By all accounts:

phrase

As said by most people

Usage examples:

By all accounts, san francisco is a city that's easy to fall in love with., his books, from all acc…

Meanings of By all means:

idiom

Definitely or certainly

phrase

Of course; certainly (granting a permission)

Usage examples:

‘may i make a suggestion?’ ‘by all means.’

Meanings of By any means:

idiom

In any way necessary

phrase

In any way; at all.

Usage examples:

I'm not poor by any means

Meanings of By courtesy:

phrase

By permission of

Usage examples:

Jessie j appears courtesy of universal records., we had a private tour of the capitol building, cou…

Meanings of By far:

idiom

By a considerable margin

phrase

By a great amount.

Usage examples:

This was by far the largest city in the area

Meanings of By fits and starts:

idiom

Intermittently

phrase

With irregular bursts of activity.

Usage examples:

The economy was recovering in fits and starts

Meanings of By heart:

idiom

By committing to memory

phrase

From memory.

Usage examples:

Poems and plays only come fully to life when they are spoken, from the heart, by heart.

Meanings of By the skin of one’s teeth:

phrase

By a very narrow margin; only just.

Usage examples:

I only got away by the skin of my teeth

Meanings of By word of mouth:

phrase

Spoken communication as a means of transmitting information.

Usage examples:

Slander is a defamatory statement made by word of mouth

idiom

In speech but not in writing

Usage examples:

All the orders were given by word of mouth so that no written evidence could be discovered later.

Meanings of By-a-nose:

idiom

If a person or animal wins a race or competition by a nose, he, she, or it wins it by very little

Usage examples:

It was a very exciting race. my horse won but only by a nose.

Meanings of By-accident:

idiom

Without intending to

Usage examples:

She hit me with her hand, apparently by accident.

Meanings of By-and-by:

idiom

After a short period

Usage examples:

By and by a man appeared., you'll get used to it by and by.

Meanings of By-and-large:

idiom

Usually; as a rule

phrase

On the whole; everything considered.

Usage examples:

Mammals have, by and large, bigger brains than reptiles

Meanings of By-any-chance:

phrase

Used to ask a question or request in a polite way

Usage examples:

Are you hungarian, by any chance?, could you lend me a couple of pounds, by any chance?, you wouldn…

Meanings of By-blow:

adjective

(of explanations, reports, etc.) including every detail in the order it happened

Usage examples:

We had to sit through a blow-by-blow account of how they missed their flight to las vegas.

Meanings of By-choice:

collocation

If you do something by choice, you make an intentional decision to do it

Usage examples:

I live alone by choice., i'm only here because i was told to be, not by choice.

Meanings of By-crook:

Using any method possible

Usage examples:

We’ll get there by hook or by crook.

Meanings of By-definition:

idiom

Because of the nature of someone or something

Usage examples:

Circus performers are, by definition, risk takers.

Meanings of By-dint-of:

phrase

As a result of something

Usage examples:

She got what she wanted by dint of pleading and threatening., we assumed that, by dint of our exper…

Meanings of By-fair-means:

idiom

If you try to achieve something by fair means or foul, you use any method you can to achieve it, even if it is not honest or fair.

Meanings of By-fair-means-or-foul:

idiom

If you try to achieve something by fair means or foul, you use any method you can to achieve it, even if it is not honest or fair.

Meanings of By-force:

idiom

Because it is a habit

Usage examples:

By force of habit i always hung the house keys on a hook next to the front door.

Meanings of By-hand:

idiom

Without the use of a machine

phrase

By a person and not a machine.

Usage examples:

The crop has to be harvested by hand