By vs. With — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 23, 2023
By" often indicates agency or means, while "With" typically denotes association or accompaniment. Both are prepositions but serve different grammatical functions.
Difference Between By and With
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Key Differences
"By" and "With" are prepositions in English, holding distinct places in grammar and usage. "By" often conveys the means or agency behind an action. For instance, a book written "by" an author reveals the individual responsible for the writing.
"With," on the other hand, leans towards association, accompaniment, or possession. If someone is walking "with" a friend, it signifies companionship. When one dines "with" family, it establishes an association of the person dining and their family members.
In the realms of instrumentality, "by" might describe the method or means, as in traveling "by" train. "With" would indicate the tool or instrument used, like cutting "with" a knife. These distinctions, while nuanced, help in accurately conveying the intended meaning.
"By" can also denote proximity or location, such as a house "by" the lake. "With" can express a state or condition, like being ill "with" a fever. The contexts and connotations for each word vary, reflecting their diverse roles in language.
Even with their differences, "By" and "With" sometimes find themselves in similar sentences, yet subtly changing the message. A letter sent "by" a friend implies the friend's role in dispatching it, while a letter sent "with" love adds an emotional nuance.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Role
Indicates agency or means.
Denotes association or accompaniment.
Example Usage
Written "by" an author.
Walking "with" a friend.
Instrumentality
Travel "by" train.
Cut "with" a knife.
Location/State
House "by" the lake.
Ill "with" a fever.
Emotional Nuance
Sent "by" a friend.
Sent "with" love.
Compare with Definitions
By
Specifies means or method.
I travel by bus to work.
With
Accompanied by (another person or thing)
A nice steak with a bottle of red wine
By
Refers to a measure or difference.
She won by a large margin.
With
Having or possessing (something)
A flower-sprigged blouse with a white collar
By
Identifying the agent performing an action.
With
Indicating the instrument used to perform an action
Cut the fish with a knife
Treatment with acid before analysis
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
With
In opposition to
A row broke out with another man
By
Indicating the amount or size of a margin
The raising of VAT by 2.5%
The shot missed her by miles
With
Indicating the manner or attitude in which a person does something
The people shouted with pleasure
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
With
Indicating responsibility
Leave it with me
By
Indicating location of a physical object beside a place or object
Remains were discovered by the roadside
The pram was by the dresser
With
In relation to
My father will be angry with me
By
Indicating the period in which something happens
This animal always hunts by night
With
Employed by
She's with the Inland Revenue now
By
Concerning; according to
She had done her duty by him
Anything you do is all right by me
With
In the same direction as
Marine mammals generally swim with the current
By
Used in mild oaths
It was the least he could do, by God
I swear by Almighty God
With
Indicating separation or removal from something
To part with one's dearest possessions
Their jobs could be dispensed with
By
So as to go past
A car flashed by on the other side of the road
He let only a moment go by
With
In the company of; accompanying
Did you go with her?.
By
Variant spelling of bye
With
Next to; alongside of
Stood with the rabbi.
Sat with the family.
By
Close to; next to
The window by the door.
With
Having as a possession, attribute, or characteristic
Arrived with bad news.
A man with a moustache.
By
With the use or help of; through
We came by the back road.
With
Used as a function word to indicate accompanying detail or condition
Just sat there with his mouth open.
A patient with a bad back.
By
Up to and beyond; past
We drove by the house.
With
In a manner characterized by
Performed with skill.
Spoke with enthusiasm.
By
At or to
Stopped by the bakery.
Came by the house.
With
In the performance, use, or operation of
Had trouble with the car.
By
In the period of; during
Sleeping by day.
With
In the charge or keeping of
Left the cat with the neighbors.
By
Not later than
By 5:30 PM.
With
In the opinion or estimation of
If it's all right with you.
By
In the amount of
Letters by the thousands.
With
In support of; on the side of
I'm with anyone who wants to help the homeless.
By
To the extent of
Shorter by two inches.
With
Of the same opinion or belief as
He is with us on that issue.
By
According to
Played by the rules.
With
In the same group or mixture as; among
Planted onions with the carrots.
By
With respect to
Siblings by blood.
With
In the membership or employment of
Plays with a jazz band.
Is with a publishing company.
By
In the name of
Swore by the Bible to tell the truth.
With
By the means or agency of
Eat with a fork.
Made us laugh with his jokes.
By
Through the agency or action of
Was killed by a bullet.
With
By the presence or use of
A pillow stuffed with feathers.
Balloons filled with helium.
By
Used to indicate a succession of specified individuals, groups, or quantities
One by one they left. They were persuaded little by little.
With
In spite of
With all her experience, she could not get a job.
By
Used in multiplication and division
Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.
With
In the same direction as
Sail with the wind.
Flow with the river.
By
Used with measurements
A room 12 by 18 feet.
With
At the same time as
Gets up with the birds.
By
Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass
South by east.
With
In regard to
We are pleased with her decision. They are disgusted with the status quo.
By
On hand; nearby
Stand by.
With
Used as a function word to indicate a party to an action, communicative activity, or informal agreement or settlement
Played with the dog.
Had a talk with the class.
Lives with an aunt.
By
Aside; away
We put it by for later.
With
In comparison or contrast to
A car identical with the one her sister just bought.
By
Up to, alongside, and past
The car raced by.
With
Having received
With her permission, he left. I escaped with just a few bruises.
By
At or to one's home or current location
Stop by later today.
With
And; plus
My books, with my brother's, make a sizable library. We had turkey with all the trimmings.
By
Into the past
As years go by.
With
Inclusive of; including
Comes to $29.95 with postage and handling.
By
Variant of bye1.
With
In opposition to; against
Wrestling with an opponent.
By
Near or next to.
The mailbox is by the bus stop.
With
As a result or consequence of
Trembling with fear.
Sick with the flu.
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.
With
So as to be touching or joined to
Coupled the first car with the second.
Linked arms with their partners.
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.
With
So as to be free of or separated from
Parted with her husband.
By
Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
With
In the course of
We grow older with the hours.
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.
With
In proportion to
Wines that improve with age.
By
Following a noun.
There was a call by the unions for a 30% pay rise.
With
In relationship to
At ease with my peers.
By
(not in common modern use) Following an adjective.
I was aghast by what I saw.
With
Being the partner of in a romantic relationship
In April, I will have been with my husband 24 years.
By
Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare
With
As well as; in favorable comparison to
She could sing with the best of them.
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.
With
According to the experience or practice of
With me, it is a question of priorities.
By
Indicates an authority according to which something is done.
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
With
Used as a function word to indicate close association
With the advent of the rockets, the Space Age began.
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.
With
As company; along
We're going to the movies. Are you coming with?.
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.
With
Against.
He picked a fight with the class bully.
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.
With
In the company of; alongside, close to; near to.
He went with his friends.
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.
With
In addition to; as an accessory to.
She owns a motorcycle with a sidecar.
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!
With
Used to add supplemental information, especially to indicate simultaneous happening, or immediate succession or consequence.
Jim was listening to Bach with his eyes closed.
The match result was 10-5, with John scoring three goals.
With a heavy sigh, she looked around the empty room.
Four people were injured, with one of them in critical condition.
With their reputation on the line, they decided to fire their PR team.
By
Per; with or in proportion to each.
His health was deteriorating by the day.
The pickers are paid by the bushel.
With
In support of. redundant to be with#English?
We are with you all the way.
By
Indicates a referenced source: According to.
He cheated by his own admission.
By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.
With
In regard to.
There are a number of problems with your plan.
What on Earth is wrong with my keyboard?
He was pleased with the outcome.
I'm upset with my father.
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.
With
(obsolete) To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; – sometimes equivalent to by.
Slain with robbers
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.
With
Using as an instrument; by means of.
Cut with a knife
I water my plants with this watering can. This is the watering can I water my plants with.
Find what you want instantly with our search engine.
They dismissed the meeting with a wave of their hand.
Speak with a confident voice.
By
At, with, among
Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of)
By Chabad, it's different. (with, among)
With
(obsolete) Using as nourishment; more recently replaced by on.
By
Along a path which runs past the speaker.
I watched as it passed by.
With
Having, owning.
It was small and bumpy, with a tinge of orange.
By
In the vicinity, near.
There was a shepherd close by.
With
Affected by (a certain emotion or condition).
Speak with confidence.
He spoke with sadness in his voice.
The sailors were infected with malaria.
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.
With
Prompted by (a certain emotion).
Overcome with happiness
Green with envy; flushed with success
By
Aside, away.
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
With
In the employment of.
She's was with Acme for twenty years before retiring last fall.
By
Out of the way, off to one side.
A by path, a by room
With
Keeping up with; understanding; following along.
That was a lot to explain, are you still with me?
By
Subsidiary, incidental.
By catch, a by issue
With
(US) Along, together with others, in a group, etc.
Do you want to come with?
By
Alternative spelling of bye.
With
Alternative form of withe
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.
With
See Withe.
By
On; along; in traversing. Compare 5.
Long labors both by sea and land he bore.
By land, by water, they renew the charge.
With
With denotes or expresses some situation or relation of nearness, proximity, association, connection, or the like.
By
Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past; as, to go by a church.
With
To denote a close or direct relation of opposition or hostility; - equivalent to against.
Thy servant will . . . fight with this Philistine.
By
Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by forty.
With
To denote association in respect of situation or environment; hence, among; in the company of.
I will buy with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following; but I will not eat with you, drink with you, nor pray with you.
Pity your own, or pity our estate,Nor twist our fortunes with your sinking fate.
See where on earth the flowery glories lie;With her they flourished, and with her they die.
There is no living with thee nor without thee.
Such arguments had invincible force with those pagan philosophers.
By
Against.
With
To denote a connection of friendship, support, alliance, assistance, countenance, etc.; hence, on the side of.
Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee.
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.
With
To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; - sometimes equivalent to by.
That with these fowls I be all to-rent.
Thou wilt be like a lover presently,And tire the hearer with a book of words.
[He] entertained a coffeehouse with the following narrative.
With receiving your friends within and amusing them without, you lead a good, pleasant, bustling life of it.
By
Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at the time.
With
To denote association in thought, as for comparison or contrast.
Can blazing carbuncles with her compare.
By
Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone by; a bird flew by.
With
To denote simultaneous happening, or immediate succession or consequence.
With that she told me . . . that she would hide no truth from me.
With her they flourished, and with her they die.
With this he pointed to his face.
By
Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.
With
To denote having as a possession or an appendage; as, the firmament with its stars; a bride with a large fortune.
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.
With
Suggests association or accompaniment.
I went to the mall with Mark.
By
So as to pass a given point;
Every hour a train goes past
With
Indicates the tool or instrument used.
He repaired it with a screwdriver.
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
With
Expresses a state or condition.
He's down with a cold.
By
Indicates agency or authorship.
The novel was written by Jane Austen.
With
Implies inclusion or possession.
Coffee with sugar is too sweet for me.
By
Denotes proximity or location.
The cafe is by the river.
With
Reflects a manner or method.
She responded with enthusiasm.
By
Implies a time reference or deadline.
Please submit it by Monday.
Common Curiosities
What's a common use of "With"?
"With" often denotes association or accompaniment, such as "I went with my friend."
Can "By" refer to a location?
Yes, "By" can indicate proximity, as in "a shop by the street."
How does "With" express a state?
"With" can show a condition, like "He's sick with the flu."
Can "By" and "With" be used interchangeably?
Not always. While both are prepositions, they often convey different meanings and have distinct uses.
Can "By" indicate a deadline?
Yes, "By" can refer to a time limit, like "Finish this by 5 PM."
How does "With" convey a method?
"With" can express a manner, such as "She answered with excitement."
How does "By" indicate agency?
"By" shows who or what performed an action, as in "The book was written by the author."
How does "With" show possession?
"With" can imply inclusion, like "Tea with lemon."
How does "With" indicate a tool used?
"With" can show the instrument, as in "Cut the paper with scissors."
Is "By" used to show means of transportation?
Yes, as in "I came by car."
Is "By" used in expressions of measurements?
Yes, "By" can indicate measure, like "The room is 10 feet by 12 feet."
Are "By" and "With" always prepositions?
Primarily, yes. But they can also function in other roles, like adverbs, depending on the context.
Can "By" be used in passive constructions?
Yes, "By" often indicates the doer in passive sentences, e.g., "The task was completed by him."
Can "With" reflect emotional tone?
Yes, "With" can add emotional nuance, such as "Sent with love."
Do both "By" and "With" have multiple meanings?
Yes, both words have varied uses and can convey different nuances based on context.
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Written 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.
