By vs. With: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Published on November 23, 2023
"By" often indicates the agent or means of an action, while "With" denotes association or accompaniment.
Key Differences
"By" is a versatile preposition that can point to the agent performing an action, especially in passive voice structures. For instance, "The book was written by the author" showcases "by" introducing the doer of the action. Furthermore, "By" can also describe means or methods. In "I travel by train," it signifies the mode of transportation.
Conversely, "With" primarily serves to convey association, accompaniment, or possession. When someone says, "I'm going with my friends," it emphasizes companionship. Similarly, "Coffee with sugar" indicates the addition of sugar to the coffee, suggesting a combination of elements.
In many situations, "By" and "With" can describe tools or instruments used in an action, but their application differs. "By" typically focuses on the means or method, like "I sent it by email." "With," on the other hand, stresses the instrument or tool itself, such as "I cut it with a knife."
Moreover, both "By" and "With" can indicate proximity, but their nuances differ. "By the window" suggests location near the window, while "With the window open" conveys a condition or state of the window. To sum up, while both prepositions can overlap in certain contexts, understanding their individual connotations is key to accurate usage.
Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Agent or means of an action
Association or accompaniment
ADVERTISEMENT
Instrument/Tool
Indicates means/method
Emphasizes the tool itself
Examples
"By car," "By the author"
"With a fork," "With my brother"
Association
Can indicate agent in passive structures
Denotes companionship or combination
Proximity/Condition
Location near something
Condition or state of something
By and With Definitions
By
Indicates means or method
She travels by plane.
ADVERTISEMENT
With
Shows accompaniment
She came with her sister.
By
Close to; next to
The window by the door.
With
Indicates a tool or method
He wrote with a pen.
By
With the use or help of; through
We came by the back road.
With
Points to inclusion
Coffee with cream.
By
Up to and beyond; past
We drove by the house.
With
In the company of; accompanying
Did you go with her?.
By
At or to
Stopped by the bakery.
Came by the house.
With
Next to; alongside of
Stood with the rabbi.
Sat with the family.
By
In the period of; during
Sleeping by day.
With
Having as a possession, attribute, or characteristic
Arrived with bad news.
A man with a moustache.
By
Not later than
By 5:30 PM.
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
In the amount of
Letters by the thousands.
With
In a manner characterized by
Performed with skill.
Spoke with enthusiasm.
By
To the extent of
Shorter by two inches.
With
In the performance, use, or operation of
Had trouble with the car.
By
According to
Played by the rules.
With
In the charge or keeping of
Left the cat with the neighbors.
By
With respect to
Siblings by blood.
With
In the opinion or estimation of
If it's all right with you.
By
In the name of
Swore by the Bible to tell the truth.
With
In support of; on the side of
I'm with anyone who wants to help the homeless.
By
Through the agency or action of
Was killed by a bullet.
With
Of the same opinion or belief as
He is with us on that issue.
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 the same group or mixture as; among
Planted onions with the carrots.
By
Used in multiplication and division
Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.
With
In the membership or employment of
Plays with a jazz band.
Is with a publishing company.
By
Used with measurements
A room 12 by 18 feet.
With
By the means or agency of
Eat with a fork.
Made us laugh with his jokes.
By
Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass
South by east.
With
By the presence or use of
A pillow stuffed with feathers.
Balloons filled with helium.
By
On hand; nearby
Stand by.
With
In spite of
With all her experience, she could not get a job.
By
Aside; away
We put it by for later.
With
In the same direction as
Sail with the wind.
Flow with the river.
By
Up to, alongside, and past
The car raced by.
With
At the same time as
Gets up with the birds.
By
At or to one's home or current location
Stop by later today.
With
In regard to
We are pleased with her decision. They are disgusted with the status quo.
By
Into the past
As years go 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
Variant of bye1.
With
In comparison or contrast to
A car identical with the one her sister just bought.
By
Near or next to.
The mailbox is by the bus stop.
With
Having received
With her permission, he left. I escaped with just a few bruises.
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
And; plus
My books, with my brother's, make a sizable library. We had turkey with all the trimmings.
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
Inclusive of; including
Comes to $29.95 with postage and handling.
By
Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
With
In opposition to; against
Wrestling with an opponent.
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
As a result or consequence of
Trembling with fear.
Sick with the flu.
By
Following a noun.
There was a call by the unions for a 30% pay rise.
With
So as to be touching or joined to
Coupled the first car with the second.
Linked arms with their partners.
By
(not in common modern use) Following an adjective.
I was aghast by what I saw.
With
So as to be free of or separated from
Parted with her husband.
By
Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare
With
In the course of
We grow older with the hours.
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
In proportion to
Wines that improve with age.
By
Indicates an authority according to which something is done.
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.
With
In relationship to
At ease with my peers.
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
Being the partner of in a romantic relationship
In April, I will have been with my husband 24 years.
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
As well as; in favorable comparison to
She could sing with the best of them.
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
According to the experience or practice of
With me, it is a question of priorities.
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
Used as a function word to indicate close association
With the advent of the rockets, the Space Age began.
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
As company; along
We're going to the movies. Are you coming with?.
By
Per; with or in proportion to each.
His health was deteriorating by the day.
The pickers are paid by the bushel.
With
Against.
He picked a fight with the class bully.
By
Indicates a referenced source: According to.
He cheated by his own admission.
By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.
With
In the company of; alongside, close to; near to.
He went with his friends.
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
In addition to; as an accessory to.
She owns a motorcycle with a sidecar.
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
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
At, with, among
Are you eating by Rabbi Fischer? (at the house of)
By Chabad, it's different. (with, among)
With
In support of. redundant to be with#English?
We are with you all the way.
By
Along a path which runs past the speaker.
I watched as it passed by.
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
In the vicinity, near.
There was a shepherd close by.
With
(obsolete) To denote the accomplishment of cause, means, instrument, etc; – sometimes equivalent to by.
Slain with robbers
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
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
Aside, away.
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.
With
(obsolete) Using as nourishment; more recently replaced by on.
By
Out of the way, off to one side.
A by path, a by room
With
Having, owning.
It was small and bumpy, with a tinge of orange.
By
Subsidiary, incidental.
By catch, a by issue
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
.
With
Prompted by (a certain emotion).
Overcome with happiness
Green with envy; flushed with success
By
Alternative spelling of bye.
With
In the employment of.
She's was with Acme for twenty years before retiring last fall.
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
Keeping up with; understanding; following along.
That was a lot to explain, are you still with me?
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
(US) Along, together with others, in a group, etc.
Do you want to come with?
By
Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past; as, to go by a church.
With
Alternative form of withe
By
Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by forty.
With
See Withe.
By
Against.
With
With denotes or expresses some situation or relation of nearness, proximity, association, connection, or the like.
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 a close or direct relation of opposition or hostility; - equivalent to against.
Thy servant will . . . fight with this Philistine.
By
Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at the time.
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
Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone by; a bird flew by.
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
Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.
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
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
To denote association in thought, as for comparison or contrast.
Can blazing carbuncles with her compare.
By
So as to pass a given point;
Every hour a train goes past
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
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
To denote having as a possession or an appendage; as, the firmament with its stars; a bride with a large fortune.
By
Denotes agent or doer
The song was sung by Adele.
With
Describes a condition
The room with the blue walls is mine.
By
Points to a deadline or end time
Finish this by noon.
With
Represents opposition
I disagreed with his opinion.
By
Suggests proximity
Stand by the door.
By
Describes a factor difference
They won by a point.
FAQs
Can "With" be about opposition?
Yes, like "I argued with him."
Does "By" always refer to the means of an action?
Often, but it can also suggest proximity or deadlines.
Can "By" and "With" be interchangeable?
Sometimes, but they often have distinct meanings.
When do we use "By" for proximity?
In contexts like "by the window" or "by the sea."
Can "With" indicate a condition?
Yes, e.g., "With the lights off, it was dark."
How does "With" show inclusion?
As in "Coffee with milk."
Does "With" always denote companionship?
Not always, it can also indicate tools, methods, or conditions.
When is "By" used in passive structures?
To indicate the agent or doer, e.g., "Painted by Picasso."
Does "With" always need a noun after it?
Typically yes, denoting what is associated or accompanying.
Can "By" denote frequency?
Yes, e.g., "I go there by the week."
Can "By" suggest a difference in measure?
Yes, like "He's taller by two inches."
And "With"?
It's a preposition.
Can "With" denote a method?
Yes, but it emphasizes the instrument, like "with a brush."
What's the key difference between "By" and "With"?
"By" often points to means or agent, "With" to association or accompaniment.
Can "With" mean "having"?
Yes, like "A lady with a red hat."
How does "With" indicate possession?
In phrases like "A man with a plan."
What part of speech is "By"?
It's primarily a preposition.
Can "By" start a phrase?
Yes, like "By doing this, you help everyone."
Is "With" used in expressions of feelings?
Yes, e.g., "I'm with you" or "With regret."
Does "By" always precede an agent in passive voice?
Most often, to show who performed the action.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
