By

Movement

Moving near or past a person or thing or in time.

pass by	He gave me a strange look and passed by without speaking.
fly by	This year flew by so fast.
go by	The bike nearly hit me as it went by.
slip by	This is an opportunity that should not be allowed to slip by.
stand by	I was standing by the window, looking at the city.
whizz by	A police car whizzed by.

Visiting

Visit somebody casually and for a short time.

come by	Finally, they came by but I was in class so they left a note.
drop by	She dropped by for a cup of coffee.
go by	We went by his house to see if he had returned.
stop by	She stopped by to say hello.
swing by	We wanted to drive to Grand Junction, maybe swinging by to see Jack on the way there.

According to

Act according to rules or directions or support sb or what they say.

abide by	Entrants to the competition agree to abide by the rules.
get by	They are struggling to get by on the minimum wage.
go by	You can't go by what other people say.
live by	I guess he is living by his own rules.
stand by	If she loves him enough surely she will stand by him.
stick by	He stuck by his decision.
swear by	You should try that cream. My mum swears by it.

Preparation

Getting ready for something.

stand by	Troops were standing by to disarm the rebels.
put by	I put a little by each week so I could pay for it.
sit by	There is so much suffering around us and yet the majority of us sit by and do nothing.