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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

Dressed as the Mystery Inc gang, they said they enjoyed a frightfully good night in the city.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

"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

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

So she said good night and closed his door.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2022

When I pressed, he said, “We had a good-night kiss, exchanged numbers, and we’ve been joking via text ever since.”

From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2022

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

From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2020

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

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2019

As Jo received her good-night kiss, Mrs. March whispered gently, “My dear, don’t let the sun go down upon your anger. Forgive each other, help each other, and begin again tomorrow.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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