Meaning & use
buh-bye
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Meanings
interjectioninformalhumorous
A casual, drawn-out way of saying goodbye, often used playfully or cheerfully.
Grammar: Used on its own as a farewell; it is not followed by an object.
Patterns
- buh-bye!
- say buh-bye to someone
Buh-bye, everyone — see you tomorrow!
She waved at the camera and said, "Buh-bye!"
He grabbed his bag and called out "buh-bye" as he left.
phrasefixed phraseinformalhumorousfigurative
Used jokingly to mean that something is finished, lost, or gone for good.
Grammar: Usually appears in the pattern 'say buh-bye to something'.
Patterns
- say buh-bye to something
If the team loses again, you can say buh-bye to the playoffs.
One more scratch and it's buh-bye to that paint job.
Common combinations
- buh-bye now
- Buh-bye now, drive safely!
- say buh-bye
- Say buh-bye to your free weekend.
- wave buh-bye
- The toddler waved buh-bye to the bus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bye
- The plain, neutral farewell; 'buh-bye' is more playful and drawn out.
- bye-bye
- A childlike or affectionate goodbye; 'buh-bye' sounds even more casual and jokey.
- see you
- A friendly goodbye that suggests you will meet again; 'buh-bye' says nothing about meeting again.
Opposites
Word family
- bye interjection
- A short, neutral farewell.
- bye-bye interjection
- A gentle or childish way to say goodbye.
Commonly confused: buh-bye or buy?
buh-bye vs buy
'Buy' means to pay for something; 'buh-bye' is only a way of saying goodbye.
Practice
Which sentence uses "buh-bye" in a natural way?
Choose one answer.
'Buh-bye' is only a spoken farewell, so it fits when someone is leaving. The other options treat it as a verb or noun, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buh-bye”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.