goodbye

American  

[good-bahy] / ˌgʊdˈbaɪ /

Sometimes goodby, or good-bye

interjection

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

---

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

---

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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

Jared Grindlinger is not ready to say goodbye to his friends at Huntington Beach High.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

And it’s that type of generous, big-hearted love that makes the time between when we say goodbye and when we see each other again a little bit easier to bear.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026

Looking at goodbye messages from the children on the wall is "really sad to see", he says.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Meanwhile, say goodbye to “Kim’s Convenience,” “Brockmire,” “Blindspot” and “Sex and the City,” all leaving by month’s end.

From MarketWatch • May 31, 2026

I followed her to say goodbye to her friends.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• adieu
• bye-bye