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by and by

adv

Etymology

From Middle English by and by (“side by side, close together, alongside, on and on, continually, again and again, repeatedly”), equivalent to by + and + by.

  1. derived from by and by — “side by side, close together, alongside, on and on, continually, again and again, repeatedly”

Definitions

  1. After a short time.

    • O, how this spring of love resembleth The uncertain glory of an April day Which now shows all the beauty of the sun, And by and by a cloud takes all away!
    • Two anons and a by and by is an hour and a half.

  2. After an indefinite period.

    • Sit down, have a rest, and by and by you'll be feeling better.
    • She said herself She would forgive him, by and by, not now — For her own sake then, if not for mine — not now —- But by and by.
    • Will the circle be unbroken by and by, by and by? Is a better home awaiting in the sky, in the sky?

  3. Immediately

    Immediately; at once.

    • When […] persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. Heaven

      Heaven; the hereafter. Usually preceded with "the sweet."

      • I'm sorry ma'am, but your cat's gone on to the sweet by and by.
      • In the sweet by and by We shall meet on that beautiful shore.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for by and by. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA