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 WebJon Wilner, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
The regular-season champion Wildcats, who earned a first-round bye, have never lost consecutive games under third-year coach Tommy Lloyd.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Los Alamitos, champion of the Surf League, has a first-round bye.
SECOND ROUND
When two teams meet after the first round of the playoffs, the team with the fewest number of home games at that point of the playoffs is the home team.
—Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024
The team also gets a bye, one more pivotal week of rest for Hurts.
—David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2024
Regular-season co-champion Academy of Art also received a bye and will play the winner of Azusa Pacific and Hawaii Pacific in Friday’s first game.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
The top 10 seeds receive a first-round bye, while the top four seeds receive a double bye.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
The top four seeds (all conference champions) will receive opening-round byes.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024
If the Aggies beat visiting New Mexico on Saturday, the Aztecs are the 5 seed with a bye to the quarterfinals.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
Jill Martin, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Colorado was on a 13-3-1 surge going into the team’s bye week and the All-Star break.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024
Miami’s schedule is filled with in-state showdowns, multiple bye weeks and a potentially grueling October.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Failing to secure a top-four seed and the resulting first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament will make Cronin’s bid to keep playing deeper into March unlikely but not unprecedented.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Their first conference bye came in late January before a game at Colorado State.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Athenian has a first-round bye before playing its regional opener in the quarterfinals at home on Thursday.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Once a contender for an opening-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament, Utah is now closer to last place than first.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024
As the Baltimore Ravens practiced during their postseason bye week, a reward for being the AFC's No. 1 seed, a key offensive piece returned to the field: tight end Mark Andrews.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
But everything fell apart when, after an opening-round bye, the Sun Devils lost to Kansas — in Wichita.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
The regular-season champion Wildcats, who earned a first-round bye, have never lost consecutive games under third-year coach Tommy Lloyd.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Los Alamitos, champion of the Surf League, has a first-round bye.
SECOND ROUND
When two teams meet after the first round of the playoffs, the team with the fewest number of home games at that point of the playoffs is the home team.
—Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 7 Feb. 2024
The team also gets a bye, one more pivotal week of rest for Hurts.
—David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2024
Regular-season co-champion Academy of Art also received a bye and will play the winner of Azusa Pacific and Hawaii Pacific in Friday’s first game.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
The top 10 seeds receive a first-round bye, while the top four seeds receive a double bye.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024
The top four seeds (all conference champions) will receive opening-round byes.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024
If the Aggies beat visiting New Mexico on Saturday, the Aztecs are the 5 seed with a bye to the quarterfinals.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
Interjection
Because of her seeding, Sabalenka has a first-round bye in the tournament.
—Jill Martin, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Colorado was on a 13-3-1 surge going into the team’s bye week and the All-Star break.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024
Miami’s schedule is filled with in-state showdowns, multiple bye weeks and a potentially grueling October.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024
Failing to secure a top-four seed and the resulting first-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament will make Cronin’s bid to keep playing deeper into March unlikely but not unprecedented.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Their first conference bye came in late January before a game at Colorado State.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
Athenian has a first-round bye before playing its regional opener in the quarterfinals at home on Thursday.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
Once a contender for an opening-round bye in the Pac-12 tournament, Utah is now closer to last place than first.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024
As the Baltimore Ravens practiced during their postseason bye week, a reward for being the AFC's No. 1 seed, a key offensive piece returned to the field: tight end Mark Andrews.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bye.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Bye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bye. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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