Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for goodbye. Search instead for goodbyes'.
Synonyms

goodbye

American  
[good-bahy] / ˌgʊdˈbaɪ /
Sometimes goodby, or good-bye

interjection

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

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a leave-taking; parting

    they prolonged their goodbyes for a few more minutes

  2. a farewell

    they said goodbyes to each other
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of goodbye

First recorded in 1565–75; contraction of 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.

Marc’s mother, Sandra Saldívar, had briefly seen him earlier, exchanging a quick hello and goodbye before he left.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

“We’re feeling the AGI here,” host John Coogan said with a smile, before saluting goodbye to Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s newly annointed chief executive of applications.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

“They kissed that opportunity goodbye by failing to provide funding for those agencies.”

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026

They posed for a photo, then said goodbye.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2026

She glanced at Christopher and said, “I suppose it’s a kind of goodbye then.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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.