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
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
The new format was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though those teams were ranked ninth and 12th by the playoff selection committee.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
El Modena received a first-round bye in a five-team Division I and will play host to the Ayala-Poway winner in the semifinals on Thursday.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bye
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Noun
The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a divisional race with the New York Mets that will likely give the winner a first-round bye in October.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
The new format was widely expected after last season’s jumbled bracket gave byes to Big 12 champion Arizona State and Mountain West champion Boise State, even though those teams were ranked ninth and 12th by the playoff selection committee.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
Interjection
Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
El Modena received a first-round bye in a five-team Division I and will play host to the Ayala-Poway winner in the semifinals on Thursday.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 1 June 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 29 Jun. 2025.
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