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:
To fully exorcise himself of Gein after completing the show, Hunnam traveled to Plainfield, Wis., to visit his grave site and say a final goodbye.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"I didn't tell anyone until the very last day because I wasn't sure it would happen... I didn't have much time to say goodbye," said Arafat.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
There was also footage of the family waving goodbye.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“The buck stopped here,” Solimene wrote in a goodbye email to colleagues.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
That way I won’t have to say goodbye to her, either.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
And, yes, of course, I was thinking of goodbyes, and I was thinking of moving on, and new pursuits and all of these things.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Barely four weeks after waving his goodbyes, O'Neill was back and Hearts were six points clear, with both sides 20 matches into the campaign.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
As I said my goodbyes and wandered back out into the lush darkness of the Beverly Hills Hotel, I thought about the end of another awards season coming to a close.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
Traditionally, Irish culture values goodbyes that are warm, friendly and sincere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Finally, after more goodbyes and gushing about how great a speaker God’s anointed was, Blanca and I were out the door and walking home.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
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.
