farewell
interjection
goodbye; may you fare well.
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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 drummer and sometimes singer from the Band, a group that backed Bob Dylan for a time and had its own star-studded farewell concert captured on film by Martin Scorsese, had declared bankruptcy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
In June, Bisignano traveled to the bank’s New York headquarters for a farewell party for Vince La Padula, a JPMorgan banker who has joined the IRS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
His predecessor Starmer gave a farewell speech in the same spot this morning, before formally offering his resignation to the King.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago," Starmer told reporters in his farewell speech outside Downing Street.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
He told her who he was, and sadly bade her farewell.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
"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
Late in August of 1796, at the same time he was making final revisions on his Farewell Address, Washington wrote his Address to the Cherokee Nation.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
It is also a time of farewells, when school graduates leave their hometown while many corporate professionals receive assignments in new cities.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
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
After the dances, the judges delivered their verdicts - and it was Robshaw and Bychkova who won the majority vote, leaving Skinner and Dowden to say their farewells.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2025
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
I said my farewells and exchanged hugs with practically everyone in the room before stepping out into the dark night.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
