By vs. Near — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 3, 2024
"By" implies proximity or alongside, often with a sense of association; "near" simply indicates closeness in distance.
Difference Between By and Near
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"By" often connotes direct adjacency or immediate proximity, suggesting a physical or conceptual closeness that may involve interaction or association. Whereas "near" suggests being close in distance but without implying any interaction or specific relation.
"By" can also denote the means or method of doing something, enhancing its versatility in usage. On the other hand, "near" strictly relates to spatial proximity and does not carry additional contextual meanings.
"By" is frequently used to describe the agent in passive constructions, such as "by the artist", indicating who performed the action. Whereas "near" is typically used to position one object in relation to another, like "near the window", focusing solely on spatial arrangement.
When used in temporal contexts, "by" implies a deadline or a specific time limit, as in "by 5 PM". In contrast, "near" in temporal usage would generally suggest a vague proximity to a point in time but without a precise deadline.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Proximity with a sense of association.
Simply indicates closeness in distance.
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Usage in Context
Involves interaction or relation.
Solely about spatial proximity.
Additional Meanings
Can indicate means or method.
No additional contextual meanings.
Common Constructions
Used with agents in passive voice.
Used to position objects spatially.
Temporal Usage
Implies a deadline or specific time.
Suggests a general time proximity.
Compare with Definitions
By
Through the agency or action of.
This masterpiece was painted by Rembrandt.
Near
Within a short distance or period of time.
He lives near the school.
By
Close to or next to.
She sat by the window to get some fresh air.
Near
Close to in distance.
The park is near her house.
By
Used to show the person doing something in passive forms.
The book was written by a famous author.
Near
Just short of; almost reaching a state or condition.
The team was near victory when the game ended.
By
No later than; at or before.
Be back by six o'clock.
Near
Not far from in rank or status.
Her office is near the top of the building.
By
Indicating the means of achieving something.
They traveled by train.
Near
Close to in time, quantity, or degree.
It’s near lunchtime.
By
Identifying the agent performing an action.
Near
To, at, or within a short distance or interval in space or time
Moved the table nearer to the wall.
As graduation draws near.
By
Indicating the means of achieving something
They substantiate their opinions by the use of precise textual reference
They plan to provide further working capital by means of borrowing
Malaria can be controlled by attacking the parasite
Near
Just about; almost; nearly
Was near exhausted from the climb.
By
Indicating the amount or size of a margin
The raising of VAT by 2.5%
The shot missed her by miles
Near
With or in a close relationship
It turns out we are near related.
By
Indicating a deadline or the end of a particular time period
By now Kelly needed extensive physiotherapy
I've got to do this report by Monday
Near
Close in time, space, position, or degree
Near neighbors.
Near equals.
By
Indicating location of a physical object beside a place or object
Remains were discovered by the roadside
The pram was by the dresser
Near
Closely related by kinship or association; intimate
A near relative.
A near and dear friend.
By
Indicating the period in which something happens
This animal always hunts by night
Near
Nearly occurring but not actually happening
A near victory.
A near disaster.
By
Concerning; according to
She had done her duty by him
Anything you do is all right by me
Near
Just barely avoided
A near hit by the incendiary bomb.
By
Used in mild oaths
It was the least he could do, by God
I swear by Almighty God
Near
Closely corresponding to or resembling an original
A near likeness.
By
So as to go past
A car flashed by on the other side of the road
He let only a moment go by
Near
Closely resembling the genuine article
A dress of near satin.
Near silver beads.
By
Variant spelling of bye
Near
Closer of two or more
Take the near street and then turn right.
By
Close to; next to
The window by the door.
Near
Being on the left side of an animal or vehicle.
By
With the use or help of; through
We came by the back road.
Near
Being the animal or vehicle on the left.
By
Up to and beyond; past
We drove by the house.
Near
Short and direct
The nearest route to town.
By
At or to
Stopped by the bakery.
Came by the house.
Near
(Archaic) Stingy; parsimonious.
By
In the period of; during
Sleeping by day.
Near
Close to
An inn near London.
By
Not later than
By 5:30 PM.
Near
To come close or closer to
The plane neared the terminal.
By
In the amount of
Letters by the thousands.
Near
To draw near or nearer; approach
As the holiday nears.
By
To the extent of
Shorter by two inches.
Near
Physically close.
I can't see near objects very clearly without my glasses.
Stay near at all times.
By
According to
Played by the rules.
Near
Close in time.
The end is near.
By
With respect to
Siblings by blood.
Near
Closely connected or related.
The deceased man had no near relatives.
By
In the name of
Swore by the Bible to tell the truth.
Near
Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; intimate; dear.
A matter of near consequence to me.
A near friend
By
Through the agency or action of
Was killed by a bullet.
Near
Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling.
A version near to the original
By
Used to indicate a succession of specified individuals, groups, or quantities
One by one they left. They were persuaded little by little.
Near
So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow.
A near escape
By
Used in multiplication and division
Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.
Near
Approximate, almost.
The two words are near synonyms.
By
Used with measurements
A room 12 by 18 feet.
Near
On the side nearest to the kerb (the left-hand side if one drives on the left).
The near front wheel came loose.
By
Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass
South by east.
Near
(dated) Next to the driver, when he is on foot; (US) on the left of an animal or a team.
The near ox; the near leg
By
On hand; nearby
Stand by.
Near
(obsolete) Immediate; direct; close; short.
By
Aside; away
We put it by for later.
Near
Stingy; parsimonious.
Don't be near with your pocketbook.
By
Up to, alongside, and past
The car raced by.
Near
Within the currently selected segment in a segmented memory architecture.
A near pointer
By
At or to one's home or current location
Stop by later today.
Near
At or towards a position close in space or time. en
By
Into the past
As years go by.
Near
Nearly; almost.
He was near unconscious when I found him.
I jumped into the near-freezing water.
I near ruptured myself trying to move the piano.
By
Variant of bye1.
Near
Physically close to, in close proximity to.
There are habitable planets orbiting many of the stars near our Sun.
By
Near or next to.
The mailbox is by the bus stop.
Near
Close to in time.
The voyage was near completion.
By
From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.
The stream runs by our back door.
He ran straight by me.
Near
Close to in nature or degree.
His opinions are near the limit of what is acceptable.
By
Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval).
Be back by ten o'clock!.
We'll find someone by the end of March.
We will send it by the first week of July.
Near
(ambitransitive) To come closer to; to approach.
The ship nears the land.
By
Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
Near
The left side of a horse or of a team of horses pulling a carriage etc.
Off side
By
Following a passive verb.
The matter was decided by the chairman.
The boat was swamped by the water.
He was protected by his body armour.
Near
At a little distance, in place, time, manner, or degree; not remote; nigh.
My wife! my traitress! let her not come near me.
By
Following a noun.
There was a call by the unions for a 30% pay rise.
Near
Nearly; almost; well-nigh.
Near about the yearly value of the land.
By
(not in common modern use) Following an adjective.
I was aghast by what I saw.
Near
Closely; intimately.
By
Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare
Near
Not far distant in time, place, or degree; not remote; close at hand; adjacent; neighboring; nigh.
He served great Hector, and was ever near,Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.
By
Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of.
I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking.
By Pythagoras' theorem, we can calculate the length of the hippopotamus.
We went by bus.
I discovered it by chance.
By 'maybe' she means 'no'.
The electricity was cut off, so we had to read by candlelight.
Near
Closely connected or related.
She is thy father's near kinswoman.
By
Indicates an authority according to which something is done.
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
Near
Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; touching, or affecting intimately; intimate; dear; as, a near friend.
By
Invokes an authority in an oath.
By Jove! I think she's got it!
By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this.
Near
Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling; as, a version near to the original.
By
Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy
Our stock is up by ten percent.
His date of birth was wrong by ten years.
Near
So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow{3}; as, a near escape; a near miss.
By
In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another.
We went through the book page by page.
We crawled forward by inches.
Near
Immediate; direct; close; short.
By
Acted on in units of the specified size or measure. (Sometimes hyperbolically)
Sold by the yard; cheaper if bought by the gross
He drinks brandy by the bucketful!
Near
Close-fisted; parsimonious.
By
Per; with or in proportion to each.
His health was deteriorating by the day.
The pickers are paid by the bushel.
Near
To approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land.
By
Indicates a referenced source: According to.
He cheated by his own admission.
By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.
Near
To draw near; to approach.
A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!And still it neared, and neared.
By
Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something.
It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix.
The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot.
The bricks used to build the wall measured 10 by 20 by 30 cm.
Near
Move towards;
We were approaching our destination
They are drawing near
The enemy army came nearer and nearer
By
(horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of.
She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress.
Near
Not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances;
Near neighbors
In the near future
They are near equals
His nearest approach to success
A very near thing
A near hit by the bomb
She was near tears
She was close to tears
Had a close call
By
At, with, among
Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of)
By Chabad, it's different. (with, among)
Near
Being on the left side;
The near or nigh horse is the one on the left
The animal's left side is its near or nigh side
By
Along a path which runs past the speaker.
I watched as it passed by.
Near
Closely resembling the genuine article;
Near beer
A dress of near satin
By
In the vicinity, near.
There was a shepherd close by.
Near
Giving or spending with reluctance;
Our cheeseparing administration
Very close (or near) with his money
A penny-pinching miserly old man
By
To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.
I'll stop by on my way home from work.
We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave.
Near
With or in a close or intimate relationship;
A good friend
My sisters and brothers are near and dear
By
Aside, away.
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
Near
Very close in resemblance;
Sketched in an approximate likeness
A near likeness
By
Out of the way, off to one side.
A by path, a by room
Near
Near in time or place or relationship;
As the wedding day drew near
Stood near the door
Don't shoot until they come near
Getting near to the true explanation
Her mother is always near
The end draws nigh
The bullet didn't come close
Don't get too close to the fire
By
Subsidiary, incidental.
By catch, a by issue
Near
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost';
The job is (just) about done
The baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded
We're almost finished
The car all but ran her down
He nearly fainted
Talked for nigh onto 2 hours
The recording is well-nigh perfect
Virtually all the parties signed the contract
I was near exhausted by the run
Most everyone agrees
By
Alternative spelling of bye.
By
In the neighborhood of; near or next to; not far from; close to; along with; as, come and sit by me.
By foundation or by shady rivuletHe sought them both.
By
On; along; in traversing. Compare 5.
Long labors both by sea and land he bore.
By land, by water, they renew the charge.
By
Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past; as, to go by a church.
By
Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by forty.
By
Against.
By
With, as means, way, process, etc.; through means of; with aid of; through; through the act or agency of; as, a city is destroyed by fire; profit is made by commerce; to take by force.
By
Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at the time.
By
Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone by; a bird flew by.
By
Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.
By
Out of the common path; aside; - used in composition, giving the meaning of something aside, secondary, or incidental, or collateral matter, a thing private or avoiding notice; as, by-line, by-place, by-play, by-street. It was formerly more freely used in composition than it is now; as, by-business, by-concernment, by-design, by-interest, etc.
By
So as to pass a given point;
Every hour a train goes past
By
In reserve; not for immediate use;
Started setting aside money to buy a car
Put something by for her old age
Has a nestegg tucked away for a rainy day
Common Curiosities
What is the main usage difference between by and near?
By implies closer proximity with possible interaction, while near simply denotes spatial closeness.
Can both prepositions be used in travel contexts?
Yes, but by would imply the mode of transport, and near would suggest proximity to a location.
What’s a simple rule to choose between by and near?
Use by for direct adjacency or involvement, and near for simple closeness.
Can by and near be used interchangeably?
Not usually, as by often includes a sense of connection or method, which near does not.
Which preposition would you use to describe someone’s involvement in an action?
By is used to describe someone's involvement, especially in passive voice constructions.
How do by and near differ in temporal contexts?
By sets a specific time as a deadline, whereas near suggests a more general time closeness without exactness.
Is by more versatile than near in English?
Yes, by has several uses including time, method, and agent, unlike near.
How does near express proximity differently from by?
Near strictly indicates being close in space, lacking the additional implications of by.
What implications does by have that near does not?
By can suggest means, method, and involvement, unlike near.
Which preposition would fit in a sentence about someone performing an action?
By, as it can denote the agent in passive sentences.
Is there a difference in the formality of by vs. near?
No significant difference in formality; usage depends more on context.
In what context would you use near instead of by?
When simply indicating spatial proximity without needing to imply interaction.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
