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bye

/baɪ/

/baɪ/

IPA guide

Other forms: byes

If you say, "Bye!" you mean "farewell" or "so long." In other words, bye is a shorter way to say, "Goodbye."

When you need a quick, informal way to bid your friend adieu, you'll probably say, "Bye!" It's shorthand for "goodbye," and when adults speak to babies and children, there's a tendency to double it: "Bye bye!" Another kind of bye is when an athlete moves directly into the next round of a competition without playing, a meaning that originated with the game of cricket.

Definitions of bye
  1. noun
    a farewell remark
    “they said their good- byes
    synonyms: adieu, adios, arrivederci, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, bye-bye, cheerio, good day, good-by, good-bye, goodby, goodbye, sayonara, so long
    see moresee less
    type of:
    farewell, word of farewell
    an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
  2. noun
    you advance to the next round in a tournament without playing an opponent
    “he had a bye in the first round”
    synonyms: pass
    see moresee less
    type of:
    conceding, concession, yielding
    the act of conceding or yielding
Pronunciation
US

/baɪ/

UK

/baɪ/

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