bye

1 of 2

noun

plural byes ˈbīz How to pronounce bye (audio)
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Chiefs beat the Houston Texans after securing a first-round bye. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025 During the Lions’ playoff bye, Johnson interviewed virtually with the Bears, Raiders, Patriots, and Jaguars. Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 20 Jan. 2025
Interjection
If the season was to end after Wednesday’s results, the Terps would own the No. 4 seed and a coveted bye to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on March 14. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 30 Jan. 2025 The schedule lightens after this, with only one game in the next 10 days thanks to a midweek bye. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bye 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bye was in 1618

Dictionary Entries Near bye

Cite this Entry

“Bye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bye. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

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