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by now. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
by now, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
by now in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
by now you have here. The definition of the word
by now will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
by now, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
See by, sense 3: “not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval)”.
Prepositional phrase
by now
- The hour being what it is; the hour being so advanced; considering that it is so far in time already; now that so much time has elapsed; if not before, now at the latest.
- Coordinate term: by then
- Near-synonyms: already, at this stage, at this point
- My parents should have arrived by now. I wonder what's keeping them.
- Totally overwhelmed by now, I started to hand out the fliers willy-nilly.
Translations
See also
References
- “by now”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.