bye

1 of 2

noun

ˈbī 

plural byes ˈbīz 

: the position of a participant in a tournament who advances to the next round without playing

drew a first-round bye

bye

2 of 2

interjection

—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

The 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

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Auggie!" I kissed them both quickly and headed toward the door.

—R. J. Palacio

Examples of bye in a Sentence

Noun

She got a bye into the second round of the tennis tournament.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The winner will get a first-round bye, while the loser is likely to host a first-round game. —The Athletic College Football, The Athletic, 8 Dec. 2024

Both teams could make the playoff but getting that first-round bye seems to be on the line in this matchup. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024

Interjection

The Georgia Bulldogs earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff by winning the SEC championship game over Texas, 22-19, in an overtime classic. —Ryan Morik, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024

Georgia took down Texas in overtime in a classic SEC championship game, likely earning a first-round bye and relegating the Longhorns to playing a home game in two weeks. —Issy Ronald and Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 8 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of by entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

1883, in the meaning defined above

Interjection

1618, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bye

• bye-bye
• bye-election
• by the bye
• go bye-bye
• go bye-byes
• good-bye