roll by

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle by

Usefulness

Meanings

1

Of time, pass smoothly and continuously

Why “by”? Time passes the same way. Moments stream past and are gone.

The days rolled by uneventfully.
The days passed smoothly without incident.
Quiet weeks rolled by in the village.
Quiet weeks passed smoothly in the village.

Don't confuse with

roll byroll over

Roll by means of time, pass smoothly and continuously. Roll over means turn by rotating sideways.

Test yourself

The days rolled by uneventfully. What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

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