adieu
Americaninterjection
noun
plural
adieus, adieuxEtymology
Origin of adieu
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, equivalent to a (from Latin ad “to”) + dieu (from Latin deus “god”)
Explanation
Adieu is a French word meaning "goodbye" that is commonly used in English, especially in the phrase "I bid you adieu!" Adieu is one of those borrowed foreign words we’ve tried to make our own. But why would someone say adieu instead of goodbye? Maybe they're trying to be funny in an overly formal way. Maybe they're trying to spice up their vocabulary. Or maybe they're quoting that song from The Sound of Music: "Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you-ooh!" Saying plain old "goodbye" can get boring, so next time try something like "adieu," "adios," "auf wiedersehen," or "sayonara."
Vocabulary lists containing adieu
The Best Starting Words for Wordle
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Much Ado About Nothing
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Twelfth Night
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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.
“We’ll bid you adieu until next time,” Harpootlian told reporters.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Bardot had left instructions that her funeral be conducted without fanfare or ostentation - but the people of Saint-Tropez wanted to pay her a proper adieu on Wednesday.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
I bid adieu to Greg and drove west.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025
Thus, we bid adieu to the era when textbooks could be resold or passed down to siblings.
From Seattle Times • May 28, 2024
On the stage, Mr. Shakespeare gave the cue in his hollow ghost's voice: "Adieu, adieu, adieu. Remember me."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
