By vs. Until — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 16, 2024
"By" indicates a deadline for completion, specifying when something must be achieved; "until" denotes a continuing condition or activity up to a point in time.
Difference Between By and Until
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"By" is used to set a specific deadline or endpoint by which an action must be completed, such as "The report must be finished by Friday." On the other hand, "until" describes a period of continuation up to a certain moment, like "Keep working until Friday."
"By" often implies a limit in time that is definitive and non-recurring, useful in scheduling and deadlines, e.g., "Please submit applications by March 1st." Whereas "until" suggests a duration that lasts up to a specific point, but not beyond, e.g., "The store is open until midnight."
In using "by," there is a focus on achieving something before a certain time, often used in project management and planning contexts. On the other hand, "until" is more about duration, commonly used to describe ongoing conditions or activities.
"By" can also be used to indicate the means through which something is done, for example, "Send the package by express mail." On the other hand, "until" has no such usage and is strictly related to time.
When planning events or deadlines, "by" provides a clear, fixed point in time by which objectives need to be achieved, making it ideal for goal-setting. Conversely, "until" is used to emphasize the continuity of actions or conditions, up to but not exceeding a certain point.
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Comparison Chart
Usage
Indicates a deadline for completion
Denotes continuation to a point in time
Context
Used in project deadlines, appointments
Used for ongoing processes or states
Implication
Achievement of a goal by a specific time
Duration that persists until a specific endpoint
Additional Meaning
Can indicate means (by car, by train)
Strictly temporal, no additional meanings
Example
"Finish the project by Thursday."
"Stay here until Thursday."
Compare with Definitions
By
Identifying the agent performing an action.
Until
Up to the time of.
Work until you finish.
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
Until
Up to such time as.
Wait until the light turns green.
By
Indicating the amount or size of a margin
The raising of VAT by 2.5%
The shot missed her by miles
Until
To a particular point in time within another event.
I read until late into the night.
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
Until
Continuing to a point in time.
Keep driving until you see the church.
By
Indicating location of a physical object beside a place or object
Remains were discovered by the roadside
The pram was by the dresser
Until
Up to (the point in time or the event mentioned)
The kidnappers have given us until October 11th to deliver the documents
He held the office until his death
You don't know what you can achieve until you try
By
Indicating the period in which something happens
This animal always hunts by night
Until
Up to (the point in time or the event mentioned)
You don't know what you can achieve until you try
The kidnappers have given us until October 11th to deliver the documents
He held the office until his death
By
Concerning; according to
She had done her duty by him
Anything you do is all right by me
Until
Up to the time of
We danced until dawn.
By
Used in mild oaths
It was the least he could do, by God
I swear by Almighty God
Until
Before (a specified time)
She can't leave until Friday.
By
So as to go past
A car flashed by on the other side of the road
He let only a moment go by
Until
(Scots) Unto; to.
By
Variant spelling of bye
Until
Up to the time that
We walked until it got dark.
By
Close to; next to
The window by the door.
Until
Before
You cannot leave until your work is finished.
By
With the use or help of; through
We came by the back road.
Until
To the point or extent that
I talked until I was hoarse. See Usage Note at till2.
By
Up to and beyond; past
We drove by the house.
Until
Up to the time of (something happening).
If you can wait until after my meeting with her, we'll talk then.
By
At or to
Stopped by the bakery.
Came by the house.
Until
Up to (a certain place)
By
In the period of; during
Sleeping by day.
Until
Before (a time).
By
Not later than
By 5:30 PM.
Until
(obsolete) To; physically towards.
By
In the amount of
Letters by the thousands.
Until
Up to the time that (a condition becomes true).
By
To the extent of
Shorter by two inches.
Until
Before (a condition becoming true).
By
According to
Played by the rules.
Until
To; unto; towards; - used of material objects.
Taverners until them told the same.
He roused himself full blithe, and hastened them until.
By
With respect to
Siblings by blood.
Until
To; up to; till; before; - used of time; as, he staid until evening; he will not come back until the end of the month.
He and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity.
By
In the name of
Swore by the Bible to tell the truth.
Until
Before (a specified time).
She can't leave until Friday.
By
Through the agency or action of
Was killed by a bullet.
By
Used to indicate a succession of specified individuals, groups, or quantities
One by one they left. They were persuaded little by little.
By
Used in multiplication and division
Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.
By
Used with measurements
A room 12 by 18 feet.
By
Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass
South by east.
By
On hand; nearby
Stand by.
By
Aside; away
We put it by for later.
By
Up to, alongside, and past
The car raced by.
By
At or to one's home or current location
Stop by later today.
By
Into the past
As years go by.
By
Variant of bye1.
By
Near or next to.
The mailbox is by the bus stop.
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.
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.
By
Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
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.
By
Following a noun.
There was a call by the unions for a 30% pay rise.
By
(not in common modern use) Following an adjective.
I was aghast by what I saw.
By
Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare
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.
By
Indicates an authority according to which something is done.
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
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.
By
Indicates a means of classification or organisation.
I sorted the items by category.
Table 1 shows details of our employees broken down by sex and age.
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.
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.
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!
By
Per; with or in proportion to each.
His health was deteriorating by the day.
The pickers are paid by the bushel.
By
Indicates a referenced source: According to.
He cheated by his own admission.
By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.
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.
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.
By
At, with, among
Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of)
By Chabad, it's different. (with, among)
By
Along a path which runs past the speaker.
I watched as it passed by.
By
In the vicinity, near.
There was a shepherd close by.
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.
By
Aside, away.
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
By
Out of the way, off to one side.
A by path, a by room
By
Subsidiary, incidental.
By catch, a by issue
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
By
Indicating deadline.
You must finish this by tomorrow.
By
Means of performing.
He traveled by plane.
By
Close to or next to.
She lives by the school.
By
Through the agency of.
This was built by a famous architect.
By
During.
She sleeps by day.
Common Curiosities
How do "by" and "until" differ in project management?
"By" sets a definitive endpoint; "until" describes ongoing duration up to that point.
How is "until" used to describe time?
It describes a continuation up to a specific point in time.
Can "by" denote anything other than time?
Yes, it can also indicate the means through which something is done.
What does "by" indicate in a sentence?
It sets a deadline or specific time by which something should be completed.
Which term is used for continuous actions?
"Until" is used for actions that continue up to a point.
Can "by" and "until" be used interchangeably?
No, they serve different temporal functions.
Which term is more likely to be used in a context of deadlines?
"By" is more commonly used for deadlines.
Is "until" ever used to mean 'including' the specified time?
Yes, it means up to and including that moment.
What is a common mistake when using "by" or "until"?
Confusing their implications of time limitation vs. continuation.
Does "until" have any additional meanings like "by"?
No, "until" is primarily used in temporal contexts.
What is an example of "by" used in a non-temporal context?
"Delivered by courier" indicates the means of delivery.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
