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
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2025
Italy received a bye to the 2025 Davis Cup event as host nation, while seven qualified nations will take up the other places at the finals in Bologna.
—James Hansen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Lauren Huff, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The top seven teams in the division make the postseason, with the first-place team earning a first-round bye and the second-through-fourth-place teams hosting a best-of-three opening-round playoff series.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bye
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Noun
The team will meet No. 1 seed Northwestern (14-2), which enjoyed a bye.
O’Brien, an All-Big Ten first-team selection, was spectacular, accumulating 10 caused turnovers and eight ground balls — both career highs.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 23 Apr. 2025
Italy received a bye to the 2025 Davis Cup event as host nation, while seven qualified nations will take up the other places at the finals in Bologna.
—James Hansen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Interjection
Breaking down The Masked Singer season 13's biggest clues and guesses
After saying bye bye bye to Kirkpatrick, the panel had to take their own shot at guessing Nessy.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The top seven teams in the division make the postseason, with the first-place team earning a first-round bye and the second-through-fourth-place teams hosting a best-of-three opening-round playoff series.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 30 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 20 May. 2025.
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