send-off
noun
a demonstration of good wishes for a person setting out on a trip, career, or other venture.
send-off
American
[send-awf, -of]
/ ˈsɛndˌɔf, -ˌɒf /
noun
-
send-offs
plural
-
a demonstration of good wishes for a person setting out on a trip, career, or other venture.
They gave him a rousing send-off at the pier.
-
a start given to a person or thing.
send off
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of send-off
1855–60, noun use of verb phrase send off
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.
See Examples For:
Videos circulated by local and pro-Cuba outlets showed a tearful send-off from residents who gave the departing Cuban staff an ovation as they left the ophthalmology clinics they had been operating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But, tasked by the Norwegian football association with taking the squad's send-off photo, acclaimed British photographer David Yarrow preferred a wider angle to capture the contribution of all 26 players.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
There was a chance to give a proper send-off to two former players, too.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
Iran held a send-off ceremony Wednesday for the national football team as it prepared to play in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
“I remember in primary six, I took this girl to the send-off party and my mom dropped both of us off and gave the girl a handkerchief. She said, “A lady always needs a handkerchief!
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Usila Koech and her husband, Amos Koech, drove in from Las Vegas to send off their son, Kiprotich.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
If this was it for the little man, what a send off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
When police came to arrest her, Klette managed to send off a text message to Garweg, allowing him to escape from his Berlin hideout.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
The announcement that Mohamed Salah will leave in the summer, while significant, was not a surprise and had the potential to galvanise fans and players alike to give a club legend a memorable send off.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
Perhaps Ned should not have been so quick to send off half his guard, and all his best swords among them.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
He also struggled in The Hundred, where it was evident he was getting big send-offs from the opposition and receiving banter about being England's 'Golden Boy', which was unkind.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025
There was lots of humor and lighthearted banter as well as some sentimental, respectful send-offs to the old guard as the new generation took over.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2024
There’s no getting around the fact that royal send-offs are expensive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2022
Some relationship send-offs surrender to despair; others are tokens of personal fortitude, reminders that there will always be a way forward.
From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2021
Don Marcelo would return home from these send-offs vibrating with nervous fatigue, as one who had just participated in a scene of racking emotion.
From The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Charlotte Brewster Jordan
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.
