goodbye

American  

[good-bahy] / ˌgʊdˈbaɪ /

Sometimes goodby, or good-bye

interjection

1. farewell (a conventional expression used at parting).

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noun

goodbyes plural

1. a farewell.

goodbye British  

/ ˌɡʊdˈbaɪ /

1. farewell: a conventional expression used at leave-taking or parting with people and at the loss or rejection of things or ideas

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noun

1. a leave-taking; parting

   they prolonged their goodbyes for a few more minutes

2. a farewell

   they said goodbyes to each other

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• goodbyes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of goodbye

First recorded in 1565–75; contraction of God be with ye

Explanation

Goodbye is a parting word, something you say to other people when you're leaving. You might say goodbye to all your favorite teachers on your last day of high school. A goodbye means that someone's departing: you say goodbye to your parents when you go off to college, and you also say goodbye to guests when they leave after a visit. The original goodbye, dating from the 1570s, was godbwye, which was a contraction of the farewell phrase "God be with ye!"

Example Sentences

"The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now," said Clarke.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

I didn’t know if it was a goodbye or an admittance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026

The goodbye messages fueled speculation that a Boeing 747 controversially gifted to President Donald Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar is now due to enter service.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

Audience: Kids saying goodbye to childhood and the parents watching them leave home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026

Did they casually wave goodbye to their families, believing they’d see them again?

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Related Words

• adieu
• bye-bye