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• good night
  good night

  interjection

  an expression of farewell used in parting at nighttime or when going to sleep.
• good-night
  good-night

  noun

  a farewell or leave-taking.

good night

¹ American  

interjection

1. an expression of farewell used in parting at nighttime or when going to sleep.

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good-night ² American  

[good-nahyt] / ˌgʊdˈnaɪt /

noun

1. a farewell or leave-taking.

   He said his good-nights before leaving the party.

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good night British  

1. a conventional expression of farewell, or, rarely, of greeting, used in the late afternoon, the evening, or at night, esp when departing to bed

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good night Idioms  

1. Expression of farewell used when parting at night or when going to sleep, as in He stood at the door, saying good night to each of the departing guests , or Mother came to tuck the children in and kiss them good night . [Late 1300s]

2. Exclamation of surprise or irritation, as in Good night, Joe!—You can't mean what you said , or Good night, Anne—it's time you learned how to throw a ball . [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of good night

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

good night good-night

"The pope had a good night in the hospital. He got up and had breakfast," the Vatican said in a short statement on Telegram.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

However, it was not a good night for Gyokeres.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

All of this is happening as ticket prices have only gotten more expensive, raising the stakes for having a good night out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

“While they have excellent eyesight during the day, eagles do not have good night vision.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

That night after dinner Ben came downstairs with Mary Anne to say good night to the adults.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

He played a game that was attractive to fans — big serve, closing volley, good-night Irene.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2022

Cookie Monster; he croons a good-night song; he tells knock-knock jokes.

From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2020

But even when they grew up, they got a good-night hug or a welcome-home embrace after an absence.

From Slate ● May 19, 2020

“Hello, good-night, I’m going to play a quick game of Madden,” he says.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2019

Nor did he tuck them in, nor kiss them good-night.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

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