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 49ers come out of the bye with a hopefully healthy Christian McCaffrey going up against a reeling Bucs team dealing with a ton of injuries. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

But coming out of the bye, the last two games have been a mess. —Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024

Interjection

The 49ers are coming off their Week 9 bye and seeking a win in Florida. —Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024

Sophomore Jayden Maiava will get his first start for USC when the Trojans return from their bye to host Nebraska on Nov. 16, according to a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 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