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
ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
Lucas, the 37-year-old first-year coach, directed the biggest turnaround in the nation, transforming the Hurricanes from a 7-24 team into a 24-7 team, from last place in the ACC and not making the conference tournament to a double-bye and the semifinals of this year’s ACC tournament.
—Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2026
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 15 Mar. 2026
Despite its season-ending struggles, UCF earned a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bye
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Noun
That has led to longer regular-season schedules followed by tougher tournament grinds, particularly for those without multi-round byes awarded to top seeds.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
Lucas, the 37-year-old first-year coach, directed the biggest turnaround in the nation, transforming the Hurricanes from a 7-24 team into a 24-7 team, from last place in the ACC and not making the conference tournament to a double-bye and the semifinals of this year’s ACC tournament.
—Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2026
Interjection
That late-season slump cost the Longhorns a first-round SEC bye in Nashville and also dropped them onto the NCAA Tournament bubble.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 15 Mar. 2026
Despite its season-ending struggles, UCF earned a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 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 18 Mar. 2026.
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