bye-bye

bye-bye — adverb

1. used after the verb 'go' to describe going outside for a walk, a ride in a car,

1.adverbA2
Definition

used after the verb 'go' to describe going outside for a walk, a ride in a car, or another short outing — used mostly when speaking to or about very young children.

Example

Mei loves to go bye-bye with her grandfather to feed the ducks at the pond.

go bye-bye + destination phrase

The sun is shining, so let's go bye-bye to the playground, little one.

Common collocations
  • go bye-bye
  • go bye-bye in the car
  • go bye-bye to [place]
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

go bye-bye

Usage Note

Commonly used with very young children; the phrase 'go bye-bye' acts as a single unit. An adult usually says it to the child rather than the child saying it to the adult.

Common Mistakes

Let's go bye-bye for dinner tonight.
Let's go out for dinner tonight.
'bye-bye' is used only with young children in the sense of a short walk or ride, not for adult social plans.

2. used after the verb 'go' to mean going to bed or falling asleep — used especiall

2.adverbA2
Definition

used after the verb 'go' to mean going to bed or falling asleep — used especially by adults when putting a young child to bed for the night or for a nap.

Example

Zara rubbed her tired eyes, so her mother knew it was time to go bye-bye.

context cue: tired eyes signals sleep meaning

After the bedtime story, Papa Bear told Sofia it was time to go bye-bye.

Common collocations
  • go bye-bye
  • ready to go bye-bye
  • time to go bye-bye
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

go bye-bye

Usage Note

This sense is the same surface phrase 'go bye-bye' as the OUT & ABOUT sense — the context (time of day, actions like putting on pajamas) tells the listener which meaning is intended.

Common Mistakes

I need to go bye-bye after work.
I need to go to bed after work.
Adults talking about their own bedtime do not use 'bye-bye' in natural English.

bye-bye — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

'Bye-bye' (noun/2, goodbye sense) is the most affectionate and childlike of the common farewell words in English. 'Goodbye' is the neutral, all-purpose term suitable for any situation from business meetings to airport departures. 'Bye' is a shortened, slightly more casual version of 'goodbye' that adults use freely among friends and colleagues. 'See you' implies a future meeting and feels warm but not childish — it works well in both casual and semi-formal settings. 'Farewell' is formal, literary, and often carries emotional weight; it is rarely used in everyday conversation. For example, you say 'bye-bye' to a toddler at daycare ('Bye-bye, sweetheart!'), 'goodbye' to a colleague after a meeting ('Goodbye, everyone, and thank you'), and 'see you' to a friend after coffee ('See you next Tuesday!').

goodbye ↗bye ↗see youfarewell ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • go bye-bye
  • say bye-bye
  • wave bye-bye
  • time for bye-byes

Prepositions

Etymology

Englishgoodbye (contraction of 'God be with ye')

'Bye-bye' is a reduplicative word formed by repeating 'bye', which itself is a shortened form of 'goodbye'. The farewell sense dates from the early 1700s, when children and adults began using the playful repetition. The bed/sleep sense ('go bye-bye', 'bye-byes') probably developed in the 1800s from nursery language — an adult telling a child it was time to 'go bye-bye' (go to sleep) — and may have been reinforced by the soothing repetitive sound of the word, similar to lullabies.