# by and by

> English word · Adverb

## Definitions
1. After a short time.
2. After an indefinite period.
3. Immediately; at once.

## Etymology
From Middle English by and by (“side by side, close together, alongside, on and on, continually, again and again, repeatedly”), equivalent to by + and + by.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/by-and-by