by-and-by

[ bahy-uhn-bahy ]

noun

1. the future:

   to meet in the sweet by-and-by.

by and by

adverb

1. presently or eventually

noun

1. a future time or occasion

Word History and Origins

Origin of by-and-by¹

1300–50; Middle English bi and bi one by one, at once. See by

Idioms and Phrases

After a while, soon, as in She'll be along by and by . The expression probably relies on the meaning of by as a succession of quantities (as in “two by two”). This adverbial phrase came to be used as a noun, denoting either procrastination or the future. William Camden so used it for the former ( Remains , 1605): “Two anons and a by and by is an hour and a half.” And W.S. Gilbert used it in the latter sense when Lady Jane sings plaintively that little will be left of her “in the coming by and by,” that is, as she grows old ( Patience , 1881). [Early 1500s]

Example Sentences

If more people take initiative like this, it might happen, by and by.

From Seattle Times

The blog name, “By and By,” is taken from the Chinook translation of “Alki.”

From Seattle Times

But Charles Terry remained and dubbed the site “New York,” appending “Alki,” from Chinook jargon for “by and by.”

From Seattle Times

Seattle isn’t the Big Apple, but it has come a long way by and by, and it was founded in today’s West Seattle.

From Seattle Times

But, he said, “before you rush to the O.R., additional minutes will pass by,” and by that time organs can be so damaged as to be unusable.

From New York Times