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
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
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
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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
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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