by and by

by and by — idiom

1. within a short amount of time; in the near future — used to say that something w

1.慣用語B1
釋義

within a short amount of time; in the near future — used to say that something will happen after a brief wait, often when a situation changes from an earlier state

例句

Dr. Okafor assured the worried family that the test results would arrive by and by.

idiom as temporal adverbial: 'would arrive by and by'

The children felt shy on their first day, but by and by they made friends and relaxed.

contrastive pattern: initial state → 'by and by' → change

同義詞
  • soon

    more common and neutral; 'by and by' has a slightly old-fashioned or literary feel

  • presently

    more formal; similar meaning of 'in a short while'

  • before long

    interchangeable in many contexts, slightly more emphatic

反義詞

用法筆記

This idiom functions as an adverb of time. It is often used to contrast a later state with an earlier one, giving a gentle or reassuring tone.

常見錯誤

❌By and by I arrived at the station at 3 PM.
✅I arrived at the station by and by.
💡'by and by' is not placed before the main verb in the same way as 'soon'; it typically appears at the beginning or end of the clause.
❌She will finish the report by and by morning.
✅She will finish the report by and by.
💡'by and by' already means 'after a short time'; do not add 'morning', 'afternoon', or other time words after it.