go by

phrasal verb
Word forms "go by":
present tense I/you/we/they go by he/she/it goes by present participle going by past tense went by past participle gone by

1) [intransitive] if time goes by, it passes

Last month went by so fast.

2)

a) go by something

[transitive] to accept what someone or something says when you are deciding what to do or think

Going by what Tim said, we should be there by mid-afternoon.

go by the book (= obey rules without considering whether they are right):

Police officers protect themselves from criticism by going by the book.

b) go by something

[transitive] to base an opinion on something go by appearances:

It's never very wise to go by appearances.

3) go by something

[transitive] to use a particular name for yourself that is not your real name

When I knew her, she used to go by the name of Ricki.

4) go by something

[intransitive/transitive] to move past a place or stop there for a short time during a journey

I went by the post office on the way home.