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

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

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

And to have that experience of saying good night to somebody and having them leave and then find out the next day that they’re gone.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2026

When Ann Turner’s husband asked—one too many times—if she was “going to bed already?” after she said good night at 9 p.m., she stopped giving her usual excuses, such as that she woke up early.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Yet rumba is so much more than the soundtrack to a good night out on the town.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

I told him good night and pretended to go back to the camp, but when he was out of sight, I slipped into the darkness of the trees.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff