by

noun

A flying insect, of the clade Anthophila within the hymenopteran superfamily Apoidea, known for its organised societies (though only a minority have them), for collecting pollen and (in some species) producing wax and honey.

1. A contest, especially for spelling; see spelling bee.

   geography bee

2. A community gathering to share labour, e.g. a sewing bee or a quilting bee.

noun

A ring or torque; a bracelet.

noun

The name of the Latin-script letter B.

noun

(usually in the plural) Any of the pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through.

adjective

Out of the way, subsidiary.

1. Along a path which runs past the speaker.

   I watched as it passed by.

2. In the vicinity, near.

   The shop is hard by the High Street.

3. To or at a place, as a residence or place of business.

   I'll stop by on my way home from work.

4. Aside, away.

   The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring.

1. Near or next to.

   The mailbox is by the bus stop.

2. From one side of something to the other, passing close by; past.

   He ran straight by me.

3. Not later than (the given time); not later than the end of (the given time interval).

   Be back by ten o'clock!.

4. Indicates the person or thing that does or causes something: Through the action or presence of.
5. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of.

   There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare

6. Indicates a means of achieving something: Involving/using the means of.

   By 'maybe' she means 'no'.

7. Indicates an authority according to which something is done.

   By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.

8. Indicates a means of classification or organisation.

   I sorted the items by category.

9. Indicates the amount of change, difference or discrepancy

   His date of birth was wrong by ten years.

10. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another.

    We crawled forward by inches.

11. Indicates a referenced source: According to.

    By my reckoning, we should be nearly there.

12. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something.

    It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix.

13. (horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of.

    She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress.

1. The position of a person or team in a tournament or competition who draws no opponent in a particular round so advances to the next round unopposed, or is awarded points for a win in a league table; also the phantom opponent of such a person or team.

   Craig's Crew plays the bye next week.

2. An extra scored when the batsmen take runs after the ball has passed the striker without hitting either the bat or the batsman.
3. A dwelling.
4. A thing not directly aimed at; something which is a secondary object of regard; an object by the way, etc.
5. A pass.

interjection

Goodbye.