What's the difference between by and past?

By


Definition:

  • (pref.) In the neighborhood of; near or next to; not far from; close to; along with; as, come and sit by me.
  • (pref.) On; along; in traversing. Compare 5.
  • (pref.) Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past; as, to go by a church.
  • (pref.) Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by forty.
  • (pref.) Against.
  • (pref.) 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.
  • (adv.) Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at the time.
  • (adv.) Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone by; a bird flew by.
  • (adv.) Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.
  • (a.) 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.

Example Sentences:

Past


Definition:

  • (v.) Of or pertaining to a former time or state; neither present nor future; gone by; elapsed; ended; spent; as, past troubles; past offences.
  • (n.) A former time or state; a state of things gone by.
  • (prep.) Beyond, in position, or degree; further than; beyond the reach or influence of.
  • (prep.) Beyond, in time; after; as, past the hour.
  • (prep.) Above; exceeding; more than.
  • (adv.) By; beyond; as, he ran past.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In this study of ten consecutive patients sustaining molten metal injuries to the lower extremity who were treated with excision and grafting, treatment with compression Unna paste boot was compared with that with conventional dressing.
  • (2) Anti-corruption campaigners have already trooped past the €18.9m mansion on Rue de La Baume, bought in 2007 in the name of two Bongo children, then 13 and 16, and other relatives, in what some call Paris's "ill-gotten gains" walking tour.
  • (3) In the past, the interpretation of the medical findings was hampered by a lack of knowledge of normal anatomy and genital flora in the nonabused prepubertal child.
  • (4) A diplomatic source said the killing appeared particularly unusual because of Farooq lack of recent political activity: "He was lying low in the past two years.
  • (5) Past imaging techniques shown in the courtroom have made the conventional rules of evidence more difficult because of the different informational content and format required for presentation of these data.
  • (6) In the past 6 years 26 patients underwent operation for recurrent duodenal ulcer after what was considered to be an "adequate" initial operation.
  • (7) Over the past decade the use of monoclonal antibodies has greatly advanced our knowledge of the biological properties and heterogeneity that exist within human tumours, and in particular in lung cancer.
  • (8) He had been extremely frustrated that indicators of economic recovery over the past few days had been drowned out by the clamour over the Labour leadership.
  • (9) We reviewed our experience with femorofemoral bypass during the past 10 years to define its role relative to other methods in the treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease.
  • (10) Gallic wine sales in the UK have been tumbling for the past 20 years, but the news that France, once the largest exporter to these shores, has slipped behind Australia, the United States, Italy and now South Africa will have producers gnawing their knuckles in frustration.
  • (11) But not only did it post a larger loss than expected, Amazon also projected 7% to 18% revenue growth over the busiest shopping period of the year, a far cry from the 20%-plus pace that had convinced investors to overlook its persistent lack of profit in the past.
  • (12) I’m hopeful but I just can’t get over all my experiences in the past.
  • (13) Significant changes have occurred within the profession of pharmacy in the past few decades which have led to loss of function, social power and status.
  • (14) Eighty interposition mesocaval shunts, using a knitted Dacron large diameter prosthesis, have been performed during the past five and one-half years.
  • (15) Although they were praised in the last five years as the most efficient drugs against cancer and infectious diseases, no great success was clinically and experimentally reported in the past.
  • (16) Over the past 20 years the rag-and-bone trade has had a makeover.
  • (17) Cameron famously broke with the past, and highlighted his green credentials, by posing with huskies on a visit to Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic in 2006.
  • (18) At first it looked as though the winger might have shown too much of the ball to the defence, yet he managed to gain a crucial last touch to nudge it past Phil Jones and into the path of Jerome, who slipped Chris Smalling’s attempt at a covering tackle and held off Michael Carrick’s challenge to place a shot past an exposed De Gea.
  • (19) They argue that the US, the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases per capita (China recently surpassed us in sheer volume), needs to lead the fight to limit carbon emissions, rather continuing to block global treaties as it has done in the past.
  • (20) Over the past decade, the quinolone antimicrobial class has enjoyed a renaissance with the emergence of the fluoroquinolone subclass.