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
Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2025
The Knights have a bye in the final round of pool play Tuesday.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
With a win, Canyon would play Murrieta Mesa — coming off a bye — in the second round Thursday night.
—Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bye
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 San Francisco powerhouse will have a bye into the semifinals.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2025
The Knights have a bye in the final round of pool play Tuesday.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Interjection
The Tritons won six of their last eight games and finished fourth in the Big West Conference with a 13-7 record, earning a first-round bye in this week’s Big West Tournament.
—Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
With a win, Canyon would play Murrieta Mesa — coming off a bye — in the second round Thursday night.
—Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bye
Cite this Entry
“Bye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bye. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share