farewell address

American  

noun

1. (initial capital letters) a statement that President George Washington published in a Philadelphia newspaper in 1796 to announce that he would not run for a third term and to give his views on foreign and domestic policy.

2. a speech delivered by someone upon leaving a job, post, etc.

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Example Sentences

“What we accomplished was not insignificant,” he added in his farewell address.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

In 1796, its first president, George Washington, announced he wouldn't seek a third term with a farewell address that still resonates today.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Angelica and Eliza encouraged Hamilton and helped him refine his ideas, including his defense of the Constitution and his crafting of George Washington’s farewell address.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Indeed, at the genre's origin, George Washington’s famous farewell address was the first to alert the American people to forces that might undermine the still-new constitutional republic.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2025

In a curiously rambling farewell address, he accused cabinet members of a breach of trust, of ignoring him and of playing into the hands of the African National Congress.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela