by the time
idiom
: at the time : when
I had lived in 12 different cities by the time I turned 18.
By the time she showed up, I was finished eating.
Examples of by the time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ideally, the Commanders would lock in McLaurin by the time training camp approaches.
—
Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Crew members threw life preservers into the water and launched a rescue boat to reach the pair, who were tiny dots in the Atlantic by the time the larger ship was able to turn around.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
May was gone by the time the Dodgers got the lead back in the fifth inning.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 June 2025
But by the time Congress sent federal troops to begin Reconstruction in earnest in 1867, the landscape was very different.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for by the time
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Crew members threw life preservers into the water and launched a rescue boat to reach the pair, who were tiny dots in the Atlantic by the time the larger ship was able to turn around.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025
May was gone by the time the Dodgers got the lead back in the fifth inning.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 June 2025
But by the time Congress sent federal troops to begin Reconstruction in earnest in 1867, the landscape was very different.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for by the time
Cite this Entry
“By the time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20the%20time. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share