stop by — to visit someone or somewhere briefly and informally
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to visit someone or somewhere briefly and informally
Pronunciation (IPA): /stɑːp baɪ/
Example Sentences
- My mother-in-law always stops by without calling first - it's like she has a GPS tracker on our refrigerator!
- I need to stop by the bank before it closes at 5 PM.
- Feel free to stop by anytime - our door is always open, but please ignore the mess!
stop by
VERB[/stɑːp baɪ/]
to visit someone or somewhere briefly and informally
On her way home, she decided to stop by the bakery for fresh bread.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The phrasal verb 'stop by' emerged in the 14th century from the combination of 'stop' (to cease motion) and the preposition 'by' (near, beside). The phrase developed to mean 'to halt briefly at a location near one's path,' evoking the image of pausing during travel to greet someone at a nearby place.
Breakdown
stop (Germanic: to cease, halt) + by (Germanic preposition: near, beside, at the side of). The combination creates a phrasal unit meaning 'to visit or pause briefly at a place in proximity to one's route.'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mother-in-law always stops by without calling first - it's like she has a GPS tracker on our refrigerator!”
“I need to stop by the bank before it closes at 5 PM.”
“Feel free to stop by anytime - our door is always open, but please ignore the mess!”
“The delivery guy said he would stop by between 2 and 6 PM, which basically means 'sometime today, maybe'.”
📚Related Words
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