From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishby numbersby numbersif you do something by numbers, you do it in a basic way by following a set of simple instructions – used to show disapproval The last thing we want is teaching by numbers. → number
Examples from the Corpus
by numbers• These consist of a capital letter followed by numbers.• The numerous shades were indicated by numbers.• Healthy living by numbers A low cholesterol level means reduced risk of heart disease, say doctors.• It had happened before, she must just plot the next square like painting by numbers.• Weeks later, she was still painting by numbers.• Certain things, such as electric charge, bank balances, or dates are quantified by numbers of this kind.• We were just cueing the sections by numbers, which is how they do it in New Orleans. 