goodbye
Americaninterjection
noun
-
goodbyes
plural
noun
-
a leave-taking; parting
they prolonged their goodbyes for a few more minutes
-
a farewell
they said goodbyes to each other
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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:
Their season ended with a twist when DelVecchio chose to say goodbye to Hall and “roll solo for now.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
"It was very tough to say goodbye," Timby says.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Despite how hard it is to say goodbye, one thing’s for certain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
We hugged goodbye as she packed her boxes, labeled “One World Trade Center.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
I open presents, we play another game, and parents start arriving and I’m thanking people and saying goodbye.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Relatives crouched on the floor to say their final goodbyes to loved ones, kissing the faces of the dead between sobs.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Keep an eye on the time; make your goodbyes quick to avoid over-staying the limit.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But while Stokes was saying his England goodbyes at Trent Bridge, Fuchs was saying hello at Bridge Field in Derbyshire, turning out for Grindleford in a Sunday friendly against Riverside Notts.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Kopitar admits the goodbyes have been emotional at times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2026
While everything was being packed away in the cars that would take them to the train, Blanca and Pedro Tercero hid in the granary to say their goodbyes.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
