by the book
idiom
: by following the official rules very strictly
My boss insists on doing everything by the book.
Examples of by the book in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Linear progression comes to those who do things by the book.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Always do everything by the book and follow all of Amazon’s terms of service.
—Duffy Young, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Breaking into the music business, crafting insanely addictive earworm hits, recognizing genre boundaries, starting a streetwear fashion line, wearing properly sized ranger hats — Pharrell Williams has never done anything by the book.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2024
Naomi Otsu x 831 Stories Mischief T-Shirt $35 831 Stories
An 831 Stories T-shirt inspired by the book, Big Fan.
—Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for by the book 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jodie Cook, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Always do everything by the book and follow all of Amazon’s terms of service.
—Duffy Young, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Breaking into the music business, crafting insanely addictive earworm hits, recognizing genre boundaries, starting a streetwear fashion line, wearing properly sized ranger hats — Pharrell Williams has never done anything by the book.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2024
Naomi Otsu x 831 Stories Mischief T-Shirt $35 831 Stories
An 831 Stories T-shirt inspired by the book, Big Fan.
—Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for by the book
Articles Related to by the book
Dictionary Entries Near by the book
Cite this Entry
“By the book.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/by%20the%20book. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share