by the book

idiom

Definition of by the book

: by following the official rules very strictly My boss insists on doing everything by the book.

Learn More about by the book

Dictionary Entries near by the book

by the boatload

by the count of

Statistics for by the book

Look-up Popularity

Comments on by the book

What made you want to look up by the book? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

exculpate

to clear from alleged fault or guilt

Test Your Vocabulary

Difficult Vocab Quiz

Which is a synonym of discomfit?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games