by the way

phrase

Synonyms of by the waynext
: by way of interjection or digression : incidentally

Examples of by the way in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Cinderella, by the way, is not condemned here to a life of drudgery. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2026 Extra points in high school football are no gimme, by the way. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026 That moment for the Knicks, by the way, is the only thing giving Jets fans hope right now. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026 While the family had plenty of happy news to celebrate, Lindsie said she was disheartened by the way some people had reacted publicly to Savannah’s pregnancy announcement. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for by the way

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of by the way was circa 1520

Rhymes for by the way

See All Rhymes for by the way

Browse Nearby Words

by the time
by the way
by the wayside
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“By the way.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20the%20way. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on by the way

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for by the way

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of valorous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All