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:
The plan was for a multiday celebration in Carmel, a seaside town in Northern California, with the ceremony at a Tuscan-style villa and the send-off at a spa in the forest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Gross-out moments aside, “Best and Last,” is an unexpectedly poignant send-off, a wet-cheeked farewell to over 20 years of camaraderie and laughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Scotland left the country on a high in their Hampden send-off match and with youth given a run-out, most appeared content on their journey across the pond with the objective of making history.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 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
It rose flapping its wings and disappeared into the clouds, to a send-off of applause, whistlings, handkerchiefs, drumrolls, and the sprinkling of holy water.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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 primary goal is to send off your return and get your refund, if one is due, and never hear from the IRS again during the year.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026
Now, anytime he’s available, he makes sure to be there and send off his favorite team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
I send off the letter before I lose my nerve.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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
Their send-offs had attracted crowds of fans, endearingly known as the ARMY, who gathered outside the military bases to say goodbye.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2023
But in Chicago, Lorie McCann said her union chapter planned fewer retirement send-offs than usual.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2023
All three series delivered fine send-offs that left their devoted fanbases smiling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2022
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.
