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
How teams stack up in the race for automatic bids, first-round byes and staying on the right side of the bubble. Austin Mock, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025 No team west of the Mississippi has ever gone to London and not followed it with a bye. Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
Interjection
Two of the preseason favorites for NFL Most Valuable Player, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, are on bye this week. Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025 After Sunday’s matchup against the Panthers, the Jets have a road game at Cincinnati in Week 8 before their Week 9 bye. Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 19 Oct. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Bye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bye. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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