The Phrasal Verb 'Go By' Explained
- 8 hours ago
- 8 min read
An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'go by' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them like a native.
How well do you know the English phrasal verb 'go by'? Did you know that there are at least three different ways to use it in English and that it can be used to talk about subjects as diverse as time, rules and names. In this post, I will unpack all three of its meanings and explain all of them for you. In addition, I will give you lots of example sentences for each one to show you how it is used by native speakers. So, let's make a start and find out exactly what the phrasal verb 'go by' is all about....
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THE BASICS
GO BY: KEY INFORMATION
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | 3 |
Past tense forms | Went by / Gone by |
Separable? | No |
To begin our exploration of the phrasal verb 'go by', it is important to consider the two words 'go' and 'by' and what they mean on their own....
Go - The verb 'to go' is one of the most common verbs in the English language. Its main main meaning is to move from one place to another and besides this, it can be used to mean 'to become', 'to leave', 'to pass' and 'to lead to a place'. In addition, we use 'going to' to express futurity in English, particularly for things that are planned or expected to happen in the future. 'To go' is one of the most irregular verbs in English, with 'went' and 'gone' forming its past tenses.
I am going to London later.
We go on holiday to France every year.
Kelly has gone to her brother's house.
My dad went mad when he found out about the party.
This year is going to be a great year for our country.
By - This little prepositional particle can often be a source of confusion for English learners as it has several different meanings. It can be used to mean 'next to' or 'near' as well as 'at the latest' and can also be used to talk about how something is done. It is not a preposition that we commonly see in phrasal verbs but when it does appear in them, it can add the ideas of quick actions (drop by) and survival (get by), among others.
So, now that we have covered the basics, let's move on to the different meanings of the phrasal verb 'go by'....
MEANING 1: To pass
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To pass, to pass by, to go past |
Separable? | No |
Our first application of the phrasal verb 'go by' is one that can be used to talk about both time and physical objects and means 'to pass'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Let's first consider this application from the perspective of time. When we talk about time going by, we are essentially talking about our perception of how time passes.
In other words, we refer to how quickly or slowly we perceive time to be passing at a given point in time or how quickly git passes over a period. For example, when we are interested or engaged in something, time seems to go by quickly and the opposite of this is true when we find something dull or boring.
The lesson always goes by fast when the students are engaged.
The weekend went by so quickly.
The holiday went by in a flash.
The meeting was so long and boring and the time went by very slowly.
The afternoon went by at a snail’s pace.
In addition, 'go by' can also be used with nouns for time periods in the plural form (days, months, years etc) to refer to how something changes and develops during the period in question, which can range from very short term to extremely long term.
When using it this way, the standard pattern is "as the [time period] goes / went by,....."
As the days went by, Suzanna started to feel more confident.
As the weeks go by, you’ll notice an improvement in your English.
As the days went by, the weather gradually got better.
As the weeks went by, the project became more and more complicated.
As the years go by, you begin to appreciate the small things more.
As the decades went by, the town changed beyond recognition.
IN DAYS GONE BYOne useful little expression that I want to make you aware of here is 'in days gone by', which is actually another way to say 'in the past'. People tend to use this expression when they are referring to things that used to happen or be a certain way in the past but is no longer the case, often with emotional or nostalgic undertones. |
Let's now turn our attention to using this application of 'go by' with physical objects and people rather than time. In this case, we are referring to when someone or something physically moves past us.
This could be when you are walking along the side of a road and cars on the road go by you, it could be when you are watching a marathon race and the runners go by you as you stand and cheer or it could be when you are sitting outside a café and people go by on the pavement.
One thing to note here is that we often use this when there is little or no interaction between the person or thing going by and the person speaking. The 'going by' action is simply something that we observe.
Joseph didn’t even look at me when he went by.
The pretty lady smiled as she went by.
I tried to stop him, but he just went by without saying a word.
Children were laughing as they went by.
Cars were going by all night and I struggled to sleep.
A bus went by just as I reached the bus stop.
We saw a police car go by at high speed.
Trucks kept going by on the main road.
WATCHING THE WORLD GO BYOne little expression that we have with this application that I love is 'to watch the world go by'. If you watch the world go by, you sit somewhere quietly and watch people as they go about their daily lives or just look at what is happening around you in the environment.
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MEANING 2: To use as a rule or guideline
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To follow, to comply with, to observe |
Separable? | No |
The second of our three applications of the phrasal verb 'go by' that we will consider is one to use in times when we need some guidance or advice on how to do something and means 'to use as a rule or guideline'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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This is a great application if, like me, you enjoy structure and following rules and doing things the way that they are supposed to be done. When doing something, if you go by the rules, it simply means that you follow all of the rules or guidelines that you have been given. This can also be used to talk about following instructions or advice that someone gives you.
You have to go by the rules or it will go wrong.
We always go by the instructions on the label and we have never had a problem.
Just go by the guidelines and you’ll be fine.
The football referee has to go by the rules, not personal opinions.
In this company, we go by strict procedures and these must be adhered to.
Furthermore, it is also possible to use 'go by' in this way for instances when we form an opinion, make a decision or take action on something based on the information that we have about it, which in many cases can be limited.
We can only go by the data that we have.
We made the decision going by the available evidence.
Doctors usually go by the symptoms when making a diagnosis.
We’re going by last year’s figures for now.
It’s hard to decide when you only have a few facts to go by.
This can also be for when people use their own opinions or judgement as the basis for making a decision or taking an action.
I usually go by my instincts.
My nan tends to go by first impressions.
Martin went by what he thought was right.
You shouldn’t always go by appearances.
IDIOM: IF IT IS ANYTHING TO GO BYOne common expression with this application that you may hear native speakers using is "if XXX is anything to go by". We use this when we are making a prediction about what we think will happen with something in the future and base this prediction on a past example or some current evidence (the XXX) that is available to us.
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MEANING 3: To be known as something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To use, to be known as |
Separable? | No |
The third and final meaning of the phrasal verb 'go by' is a nice and simple one to end the post with and means 'to be known as something'.
There are a lot of famous singers, authors and actors in the world who do not use the name that they were given by their parents, but rather a name that they have chosen themselves.
When a person does this, we can say that they 'go by' this particular new name and therefore they will be known by the majority of the public by this.
For example, Elton John has gone by this stage name for his entire career but his real name is in fact Reginald Dwight. Moreover, JK Rowling also goes by the pen name of Robert Gilbraith for some of her books.
On a more normal day-to-day level, this application can also be used for when people prefer to be called a shortened variation of their name or their nickname, e.g. somebody with the name Michael may prefer to go by "Mike" or someone may prefer to go by a name that is completely different to their real name because that's what their friends call them. You can also use this to refer to the name that you are known as online.
She was christened Elizabeth, but she goes by Liz.
Online, Debbie goes by “StarGazer.”
The surgeon goes by “Doc” at work.
Smith prefers to go by her surname.
He goes by his middle name.
The author goes by a pen name.
The company used to go by a different name.
This area goes by several names depending on who you ask.
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'go by'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'go by'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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THE END
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