goodbye
Americaninterjection
noun
noun
-
a leave-taking; parting
they prolonged their goodbyes for a few more minutes
-
a farewell
they said goodbyes to each other
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of goodbye
First recorded in 1565–75; contraction of God be with ye
Explanation
Goodbye is a parting word, something you say to other people when you're leaving. You might say goodbye to all your favorite teachers on your last day of high school. A goodbye means that someone's departing: you say goodbye to your parents when you go off to college, and you also say goodbye to guests when they leave after a visit. The original goodbye, dating from the 1570s, was godbwye, which was a contraction of the farewell phrase "God be with ye!"
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.
An art project called the Goodbye Line prompts passersby to make a collect call and say goodbye — to a loved one, a pet or maybe a part of themselves.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
A young Zohran supporter will wave a hand: Goodbye, who needs you?
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
Earlier, police had fired teargas to disperse hundreds of people in Tchiroma's northern stronghold of Garoua, where activists carried Cameroonian flags and banners reading "Tchiroma 2025" and chanted "Goodbye Paul Biya, Tchiroma is coming".
From Barron's • Oct. 27, 2025
Gone Before Goodbye, co-written with bestselling author Harlan Coben, tells the story of a talented surgeon called Maggie, who is trapped in a deadly conspiracy.
From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025
Goodbye to the cabinet drawers labeled “New Paper” and “Old Paper.”
From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
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.
