plural byes
ˈbīz 
: the position of a participant in a tournament who advances to the next round without playing
drew a first-round bye
—used as a shortened form of goodbye to express farewell
When he finally spoke, though, and said, "Bye, I'll call you," instead of disappointment she had felt an enormous rush of relief—a feeling, she thinks now, of things falling back into place.—
Ann Packer
Ann PackerThe stag lowered his head and raised it again. He blew out a frosty puff of air, then leaped away, vanishing into the mist. "Bye," Annie said wistfully.—Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborne"Bye, Mom! Bye, Auggie!" I kissed them both quickly and headed toward the door.—R. J. Palacio
R. J. PalacioExamples of bye in a Sentence
Noun
She got a bye into the second round of the tennis tournament.
Recent Examples on the Web
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Mar. 2025
The Tritons have already locked in a top-two seed for next week’s Big West Tournament in Henderson, Nev., ensuring them a bye into the semifinals.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
The difference between the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 seeds is critical because the No. 4 seed gets a double bye to the tournament quarterfinals and would not have to play until Friday, March 14.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bye
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Noun
Regardless, the top five seeds earn first-round byes into the quarterfinals.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Mar. 2025
The Tritons have already locked in a top-two seed for next week’s Big West Tournament in Henderson, Nev., ensuring them a bye into the semifinals.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025
Interjection
The top five teams in the tournament get a bye through the opening round, so UConn won’t learn its first opponent until 8-seed St. John’s and 9-seed Butler face off at 11 a.m. on Friday.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
The difference between the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 seeds is critical because the No. 4 seed gets a double bye to the tournament quarterfinals and would not have to play until Friday, March 14.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bye
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Cite this Entry
“Bye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bye. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
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