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
Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, at the inter-confederation play-offs — which are being played in Mexico — the six sides have been divided into two paths of three, with the seeded team in each, DR Congo and Iraq, given a bye to the respective finals.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Eva Thomas, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
Preseason games are dress rehearsals for most teams anyway, and a second bye week would help players get healthier and get a breather in the midst of the battle.
—Ernesto Cova, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bye
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
Five teams had first-round byes in Division 1 last season.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, at the inter-confederation play-offs — which are being played in Mexico — the six sides have been divided into two paths of three, with the seeded team in each, DR Congo and Iraq, given a bye to the respective finals.
—Will Jeanes, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
Interjection
And cool-girl of the moment, Dakota Johnson, said bye to plain white sneakers, instead replacing them with a vastly underrated style that’s already blowing up this year.
—Eva Thomas, InStyle, 12 Apr. 2026
Preseason games are dress rehearsals for most teams anyway, and a second bye week would help players get healthier and get a breather in the midst of the battle.
—Ernesto Cova, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bye
Cite this Entry
“Bye.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bye. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
