farewell
interjection
goodbye; may you fare well.
farewell
1 American
[fair-wel]
/ ˌfɛərˈwɛl /
interjection
noun
-
farewells
plural
-
an expression of good wishes at parting.
They made their farewells and left.
-
a fond farewell.
-
a party given to a person who is about to embark on a long journey, retire, leave an organization, etc.
adjective
Farewell
2
American
[fair-wel]
/ ˌfɛərˈwɛl /
noun
farewell
British
/ ˌfɛəˈwɛl /
noun
-
a parting salutation
-
an act of departure; leave-taking
-
(modifier) expressing leave-taking
a farewell speech
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of farewell
First recorded in 1325–75, farewell is from the Middle English word farwel. See fare, well 1
Explanation
If you’re saying goodbye to someone you might not see for long time, say farewell, preferably while waving a hankie from the Queen Mary before it sails across the Atlantic. Farewell is a fancy way to say goodbye. A farewell is also an expression of good wishes at a parting. If you’re leaving a job after being there a long time, your co-workers might throw you a farewell party. Farewell is an expression, like "goodbye," but also a noun — if you like to leave without a lot of fuss, you don’t like long farewells. Farewell is a combination of fare and well. Fare comes from the Old English word faran, which means "to journey."
Vocabulary lists containing farewell
The Cricket in Times Square
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"The Three Chicarrones"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for July 8–July 14, 2023
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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.
See Examples For:
Tenerife will also open their home ground on Saturday evening to allow supporters to "bid a fitting farewell".
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
It was an end-of-relationship song, but in his sense I was overlaying the idea that this could be career-related in some way — he could be getting ready to cut his farewell album or something.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Salon: A lot of coverage cited what you said in your farewell message for your last weekend show.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
It wasn’t a campaign event; it was his farewell show.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
Pilots Tonya Skoblikova and Katya Fedotova were able to waggle their wings in farewell as they flew off to find emergency landing places.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
"Farewell old friend x," Larry posted on his X account, brushing aside rumours of rivalry between the pair.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
Farewell, Doctor: This week, Disney+ ended its three-year partnership with the BBC to stream “Doctor Who.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025
Simon expected that too — he’d billed the event as his “Homeward Bound — Farewell Tour.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
After graduating three years later, he soon received his first parts in the West End, appearing with Dame Margaret Rutherford and Peggy Mount in the play Farewell, Farewell, Eugene.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2025
The main themes of the Farewell Address are just as easy to state succinctly as they are difficult to appreciate fully.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Chinese users of AI-powered companion bots have bid heart-rending farewells to their virtual buddies as national regulations took effect Wednesday aimed at curbing the risk of emotional dependency.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
"Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts," the post says.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
She has said final farewells to Porter Wagoner and her longtime singing partner, Kenny Rogers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
Instead of the traditional party — and an accompanying feast of pizza, papusas and other Mexican and Central American delicacies — students handed in their borrowed instruments Friday and quietly said their farewells.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2025
Aureliano Segundo and Meme took leave of her with mocking farewells and promised her that on the following Saturday they would have a big resurrection party.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
