goodbye

American  

[good-bahy] / ˌgʊdˈbaɪ /

Sometimes goodby, or good-bye

interjection

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

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noun

plural

goodbyes

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

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

One day that October, Cook walked off the stage after his first major product launch only to be summoned to Jobs’s home to say goodbye.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Ahmad was in a hurry that morning, hunting around for his socks before he kissed the kids goodbye.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

“I think you can kiss that goodbye for 2026,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Then with a burn of their spacecraft's main engine, they said goodbye and began their quarter of a million mile journey to the Moon.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Another regrettably late discovery, because when we said goodbye, I was certain this was the end of our acquaintance.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• adieu
• bye-bye