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• good night
  good night

  interjection

  an expression of farewell used in parting at nighttime or when going to sleep.
• good-night
  good-night

  noun

  a farewell or leave-taking.

good night

¹ American  

interjection

1. an expression of farewell used in parting at nighttime or when going to sleep.

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good-night ² American  

[good-nahyt] / ˌgʊdˈnaɪt /

noun

1. a farewell or leave-taking.

   He said his good-nights before leaving the party.

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good night British  

1. a conventional expression of farewell, or, rarely, of greeting, used in the late afternoon, the evening, or at night, esp when departing to bed

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good night Idioms  

1. Expression of farewell used when parting at night or when going to sleep, as in He stood at the door, saying good night to each of the departing guests , or Mother came to tuck the children in and kiss them good night . [Late 1300s]

2. Exclamation of surprise or irritation, as in Good night, Joe!—You can't mean what you said , or Good night, Anne—it's time you learned how to throw a ball . [Late 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of good night

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

good night good-night

The Angels thumped the Colorado Rockies 11-4, but one good night cannot change the trajectory of a miserable season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Yesterday there was a house where you drank your coffee, cooked meals and kissed your children good night.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

After a good night, Berry and Cynthia would walk out with about $150 each.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

In a strongly-worded Instagram post on Friday, Labrinth criticised the show and Columbia Records, which releases the soundtrack, adding: "I'm out. Thank you and good night."

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

“A good night for cutting off in,” said Orlick.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

He played a game that was attractive to fans — big serve, closing volley, good-night Irene.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2022

When I pressed, he said, “We had a good-night kiss, exchanged numbers, and we’ve been joking via text ever since.”

From Washington Post ● Jun. 9, 2022

They had what she described as “a city good-night kiss,” a kiss on the street before each headed in the opposite direction.

From New York Times ● Oct. 23, 2020

“Hello, good-night, I’m going to play a quick game of Madden,” he says.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2019

“Don’t be mad at Mom,” he said as he bent down to give me a good-night kiss.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio