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• good night
  good night

  interjection

  an expression of farewell used in parting at nighttime or when going to sleep.
• good-night
  good-night

  noun

  a farewell or leave-taking.

good night

¹ American  

interjection

1. an expression of farewell used in parting at nighttime or when going to sleep.

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good-night ² American  

[good-nahyt] / ˌgʊdˈnaɪt /

noun

1. a farewell or leave-taking.

   He said his good-nights before leaving the party.

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good night British  

1. a conventional expression of farewell, or, rarely, of greeting, used in the late afternoon, the evening, or at night, esp when departing to bed

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good night Idioms  

1. Expression of farewell used when parting at night or when going to sleep, as in He stood at the door, saying good night to each of the departing guests , or Mother came to tuck the children in and kiss them good night . [Late 1300s]

2. Exclamation of surprise or irritation, as in Good night, Joe!—You can't mean what you said , or Good night, Anne—it's time you learned how to throw a ball . [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of good night

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

good night good-night

“While they have excellent eyesight during the day, eagles do not have good night vision.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Even if he were cogent enough to consider such a thought, he will never go gentle into that good night.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

An air traffic controller had just told the Frontier pilot they were clear for takeoff and wished them a good night.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

Yesterday there was a house where you drank your coffee, cooked meals and kissed your children good night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

I said good night to Brett at the bar.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

He played a game that was attractive to fans — big serve, closing volley, good-night Irene.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2022

When I pressed, he said, “We had a good-night kiss, exchanged numbers, and we’ve been joking via text ever since.”

From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2022

Somewhere between 10 and 11, I’ll send my girls a good-night text.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2021

“Hello, good-night, I’m going to play a quick game of Madden,” he says.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2019

When his brother returned from the medical home, still wearing leg braces from the polio, the two of them shared a rollaway bed in the kitchen of their apartment, and Eva would kiss them good-night.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom