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:
The theme also dominated his six-minute farewell video timed to release after death.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Their two duets—one of anguished farewell, the other of joyful reunion—were beautifully blended.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ozzy, known affectionately - despite the title - as The Prince of Darkness, died on 22 July last year, less than three weeks after the band's farewell Back to the Beginning gig at Villa Park.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But that would mean saying farewell to daylight during California’s late summer days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
On July 22, 1942, the White Rose group held a small farewell party, and the next day Hans, Willi Graf, Christoph Probst, and Alexander Schmorell were dispatched as student medics to the Russian front.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
"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
The Searchers' Final Farewell Tour will conclude at Glastonbury on 27 June, which the band said will be its "last ever show".
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 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
The aim of her "Farewell video" project, she says, is to help people cope with "unfinished farewells" and give them a chance to "embrace" husbands, parents and children again.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
After hugs and farewells, they walk back out into the night, still unnoticed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
When the participants tried to end a conversation, researchers had the companion either reply with the same manipulative farewells they had observed popular AI companions use or, in the control condition, say goodbye.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Eventually the hour struck and the customers donned their hats and said their farewells.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
