You're by my side; everything's fine now.
Source: tatoeba (1642)
By
/baɪ/
Synonyms for "by" (148 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (30)
Strong matches (44)
Related words (74)
Noun(10 words)
marvel of designmode of communicationokapiapast passivepick at randomself-discipline at homestate of present momentthrough composed formtrespass with forceunits of measure
Determiner(1 words)
no diagnosis at discharge
Adverb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: abeam, abreast, abroach, accommodated to, according to.
- Sentence evidence is available for by, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, derived_reverse, opengloss, wordnet, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "by".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "by"
Keep "by" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "by" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "by", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "by" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
7 entriesadverb of readinessdirectional adverbgrammatical functionmeanspreposition usespatial relationtemporal relation
More specific
15 entriesagent phraseawaiting instructionbeside the deskby Fridayby busby carby next weekdoer phrasedrive bygo bynear the dooron callpass byready to actwalk by
Collocations
11 entriesby accidentby designby handby heartby the wayby trainget bygo bypass bystand bystand by the phone
Derivations
4 entriesTranslations
94 translations across 43 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- deur prep (indicates a means)
Ancient Greek
1 entries- νή prep (with the authority of)
Arabic
2 entries- بِـ prep (indicates a means)
- بِـ prep (with the authority of)
Azerbaijani
1 entries- vasitəsilə prep (indicates a means)
Bavarian German
1 entries- ba prep (with the authority of)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 用… prep (indicates a means)
- 由… prep (indicates a means)
Czech
2 entries- pomocí prep (indicates a means)
- prostřednictvím prep (indicates a means)
Danish
2 entries- ved prep (indicates a means)
- ved at prep (indicates a means)
Dutch
3 entries- door prep (indicates a means)
- op prep (indicates a means)
- per prep (indicates a means)
Esperanto
2 entries- de prep (with the authority of)
- per prep (indicates a means)
Finnish
1 entries- kautta prep (with the authority of)
French
4 entries- au moyen de prep (indicates a means)
- en prep (indicates a means)
- par prep (indicates a means)
- par prep (with the authority of)
German
4 entries- bei prep (with the authority of)
- durch prep (indicates a means)
- indem prep (indicates a means)
- mit prep (indicates a means)
Greek
3 entries- από prep (indicates a means)
- διά prep (indicates a means)
- μα prep (with the authority of)
Hebrew
1 entries- על ידי prep (indicates a means)
Hungarian
4 entries- -val prep (indicates a means)
- -vel prep (indicates a means)
- alapján prep (with the authority of)
- meg- prep (with the authority of)
Ido
1 entries- per prep (indicates a means)
Indonesian
1 entries- kena prep (indicates a means)
Italian
4 entries- con prep (indicates a means)
- mediante prep (indicates a means)
- per prep (with the authority of)
- per mezzo di prep (indicates a means)
Japanese
4 entries- …で prep (indicates a means)
- …によって prep (indicates a means)
- …により prep (indicates a means)
- …著 prep (with the authority of)
Kapampangan
4 entries- ...ken prep (indicates a means)
- bilang prep (indicates a means)
- gamit ing prep (indicates a means)
- gamit ing prep (with the authority of)
Korean
2 entries- ...로 prep (indicates a means)
- ...로써 prep (indicates a means)
Latin
2 entries- ab prep (indicates a means)
- per prep (indicates a means)
Latvian
1 entries- pa prep (indicates a means)
Malay
1 entries- dengan prep (indicates a means)
Maltese
1 entries- bi prep (indicates a means)
Māori
3 entries- ki prep (indicates a means)
- nā prep (indicates a means)
- nā prep (with the authority of)
Ngazidja Comorian
1 entries- ha prep (indicates a means)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- bi prep (indicates a means)
Norwegian
2 entries- med prep (indicates a means)
- ved prep (with the authority of)
Old English
1 entries- þurh prep (indicates a means)
Polish
1 entries- na prep (with the authority of)
Portuguese
3 entries- a prep (indicates a means)
- por prep (indicates a means)
- por prep (with the authority of)
Romanian
1 entries- cu prep (indicates a means)
Russian
2 entries- во и́мя prep (with the authority of)
- от и́мени prep (with the authority of)
Slovene
2 entries- s prep (indicates a means)
- z prep (indicates a means)
Spanish
1 entries- por prep (indicates a means)
Swedish
2 entries- genom att prep (indicates a means)
- vid prep (with the authority of)
Thai
1 entries- โดย prep (indicates a means)
Turkish
1 entries- vasıtasıyla prep (indicates a means)
Ukrainian
1 entries- за допомогою prep (indicates a means)
Vietnamese
3 entries- bằng cách prep (indicates a means)
- theo cách prep (indicates a means)
- trước prep (with the authority of)
Welsh
1 entries- â prep (indicates a means)
Sample sentences
69 total sentences available.
At the age of six he had learned to use the typewriter and told the teacher that he did not need to learn to write by hand.
Source: tatoeba (1828)
I'm at the hospital. I got struck by lightning.
Source: tatoeba (1850)
I have a great fear of being disdained by those I love and care about.
Source: tatoeba (1920)
Showing 4 of 69 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "by"?
Closest matches include abeam, abreast, abroach, accommodated to, according to.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "by"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.