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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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

good night good-night

I agree with Gustavo that Villaraigosa had a good night, and that Steyer had Bernie energy — which may be good.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Yesterday there was a house where you drank your coffee, cooked meals and kissed your children good night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

After a good night, Berry and Cynthia would walk out with about $150 each.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden was trialled as a false nine and did not have a good night but Tuchel has said this window has provided him "more clarity" than questions about his side.

From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026

Grandpa had made the Lord seem so real, I wouldn’t of been surprised if he’d said good night to Him.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2022

Somewhere between 10 and 11, I’ll send my girls a good-night text.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2021

“Twenty-two years ago,” he said, “I kissed my daughter and son good-night and walked out of their lives. . . . Strength is a collective, not an individual thing.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2020

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

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2019

Mother fell silent, and less than a minute later I was obliged to kiss her good-night.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank