by vs on

by

prep
  • Near or next to. 

  • Following a passive verb. 

  • Acted on in units of the specified size or measure. (Sometimes hyperbolically) 

  • Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of. 

  • Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy 

  • Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of. 

  • Indicates a means of classification or organisation. 

  • At, with, among 

  • Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of. 

  • Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval). 

  • Following a noun. 

  • Following an adjective. 

  • In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another. 

  • Indicates an authority according to which something is done. 

  • per; with or in proportion to each. 

  • Indicates a referenced source: According to. 

  • Invokes an authority in an oath. 

  • Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something. 

  • From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past. 

adj
  • Out of the way, off to one side. 

  • Subsidiary, incidental. 

adv
  • Along a path which runs past the speaker. 

  • Aside, away. 

  • To or at a place, as a residence or place of business. 

  • In the vicinity, near. 

on

prep
  • Near; adjacent to; alongside. 

  • To the account or detriment of; denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon. 

  • So as to impact; against. 

  • Some time during the day of. 

  • Indicating a means of subsistence. 

  • Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with. 

  • Dealing with the subject of; about; concerning. 

  • In the possession of. 

  • Inside (a vehicle) for the purpose of travelling. 

  • Indicating the person experiencing an emotion, cold, thirst, hunger, etc. 

  • Expressing figurative placement or attachment. 

  • Supported by (the specified part of itself). 

  • Having identical domain and codomain. 

  • At or in (a certain region or location). 

  • Upon; at the time of (and often because of). 

  • Under the influence of (a drug). 

  • Generated by. 

  • Regularly taking (a drug). 

  • Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above. 

  • Against; in opposition to. 

  • Indicating dependence or reliance. 

  • Covering. 

  • Engaged in or occupied with (an action or activity). 

  • Paid for by. 

  • Toward; for; indicating the object of an emotion. 

  • At the date of. 

  • Indicating the target of, or thing affected by, an event or action. 

  • In addition to; besides; indicating multiplication or succession in a series. 

  • Indicating a means or medium. 

  • By virtue of; with the pledge of. 

  • Because of, or due to. 

  • Having Vⁿ as domain and V as codomain, for some set V and integer n. 

  • Without. 

  • Positioned at or resting against the outer surface of; attached to. 

  • So as to impart force to. 

  • Serving as a member of. 

  • At a given time after the start of something; at. 

adv
  • Of betting odds, denoting a better-than-even chance. See also odds-on. 

  • Along, forwards (continuing an action). 

  • To an operating state. 

  • In continuation, at length. 

  • So as to cover or be fitted. 

verb
  • To switch on. 

adj
  • Destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed. 

  • Acting in character. 

  • Fitted; covering; being worn. 

  • Acceptable, appropriate. 

  • Within the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman. 

  • In the state of being active, functioning or operating. 

  • Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter. 

  • Of a stated part of something, oriented towards the viewer or other specified direction. 

  • Menstruating. 

  • Performing according to schedule; taking place. 

noun
  • In the Japanese language, a pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character that was originally based on the character's pronunciation in Chinese, contrasted with kun. 

How often have the words by and on occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )