Bye Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms bye 1 American [bahy] / baɪ /

noun

1. Sports. in a tournament, the preferential status of a player or team not paired with a competitor in an early round and thus automatically advanced to play in the next round.

   The top three seeded players received byes in the first round.

2. Golf. the holes of a stipulated course still unplayed after the match is finished.

3. Cricket. a run made on a ball not struck by the batsman.

4. something subsidiary, secondary, or out of the way.

adjective

1. by.

idioms

1. by the bye, by the way; incidentally: Also by the by

   By the bye, how do you spell your name?

bye 2 American [bahy] / baɪ /

interjection

1. goodbye.

bye- 3 American

1. variant of by-.

   bye-election.

bye 1 British / baɪ /

noun

1. sport the situation in which a player or team in an eliminatory contest wins a preliminary round by virtue of having no opponent

2. golf one or more holes of a stipulated course that are left unplayed after the match has been decided

3. cricket a run scored off a ball not struck by the batsman: allotted to the team as an extra and not to the individual batsman See also leg bye

4. something incidental or secondary

5. incidentally; by the way: used as a sentence connector

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 bye 2 British

1. informal goodbye

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bye

1710–20; variant spelling of by in its noun sense “side way”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Broncos could clinch the AFC number-one seed spot, handing them a playoff bye and home advantage, if they win on home turf this weekend and other results go favorably.

From Barron's

The 49ers emerge from the bye healthier than they’ve been all season and continue to find ways to win despite earlier attrition.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet due to scheduling quirks and tiebreakers, it’s Alabama that will play No. 4 Georgia for the SEC championship and a likely first-round playoff bye.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now the Eagles get a bye next week before they are expected to face Concord De La Salle in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl game on Dec. 13 at Saddleback College.

From Los Angeles Times

The top eight receive a bye to the last 16, the next 16 go into a play-off round.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.