goodbye
Americaninterjection
noun
-
goodbyes
plural
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
Noun Inflected 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.
See Examples For:
But ultimately, it was to sort of say goodbye in a way that he felt would be most appropriate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Saying goodbye to them had been the single most anguishing moment of my entire life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"I said goodbye to you and did not know what lay ahead," he said referring to their final meeting.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The buck stopped here,” Solimene wrote in a goodbye email to colleagues.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
One fine day they bade goodbye to their families and set off upstream in a canoe, promising to return with the rains.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Crowds lined the streets to say their goodbyes to the "very special lady" as her coffin travelled through her home town of Milford in Surrey before the service at Guildford Cathedral.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
And, yes, of course, I was thinking of goodbyes, and I was thinking of moving on, and new pursuits and all of these things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Barely four weeks after waving his goodbyes, O'Neill was back and Hearts were six points clear, with both sides 20 matches into the campaign.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Traditionally, Irish culture values goodbyes that are warm, friendly and sincere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Eventually, he heard Daniel mumble goodbyes and hurry out the apartment.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
