Sports . in a tournament, the preferential status of a player or team not paired with a competitor in an early round and thus automatically advanced to play in the next round

The top three seeded players received byes in the first round.

Golf . the holes of a stipulated course still unplayed after the match is finished.

Cricket . a run made on a ball not struck by the batsman.

something subsidiary, secondary, or out of the way.

by 1 . ?

by the bye

by the way; incidentally

By the bye, how do you spell your name? Also, by the by.