farewell

1 of 4

imperative verb

fare·​well fer-ˈwel 

: get along well

—used interjectionally to or by one departing

farewell

2 of 4

noun

fare·​well fer-ˈwel 

1

: a wish of well-being at parting : goodbye

said their farewells and headed home

2

a

: an act of departure : leave-taking

I will take my farewell of this place tomorrow.

b

: a formal occasion honoring a person about to leave or retire

held a great farewell for the retiring senator

farewell

3 of 4

verb

fare·​well fer-ˈwel 

transitive

chiefly Australia and New Zealand

: to bid farewell to

farewell

4 of 4

adjective

fare·​well ˈfer-ˌwel 

: of or relating to leave-taking : final

a farewell performance

Synonyms of farewell

Noun

• ave
• good-bye

Adjective

• final
• last
• valedictory
• parting

Examples of farewell in a Sentence

Noun

They said their farewells and headed home.

the exchange student and her host family said their tearful farewells, promising to keep in touch

Verb

The retiring teacher was farewelled by the whole school at a special assembly.

Adjective

The band gave a farewell concert.

the singer's farewell tour seemed to last almost as long as her entire career

Recent Examples on the Web

Imperative verb

With its gentle rhythm and soothing illustrations, the story creates a calming bedtime ritual as the bunny bids farewell to everything in his world one by one. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 June 2026

The Landry family bid viewers farewell on Sunday night, with the season 4 finale of The Way Home serving as the definite conclusion to Hallmark's multigenerational, century spanning drama. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026

Noun

The mosque opened to the public on Saturday for a farewell ceremony. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026

The movie serves both as a farewell to the franchise, and a reminder of how years of addiction, feuds and legal battles pushed Margera — who had second-billing for the first three films — to the sidelines. — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026

Verb

With its gentle rhythm and soothing illustrations, the story creates a calming bedtime ritual as the bunny bids farewell to everything in his world one by one. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 26 June 2026

The Landry family bid viewers farewell on Sunday night, with the season 4 finale of The Way Home serving as the definite conclusion to Hallmark's multigenerational, century spanning drama. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026

Adjective

Does James really want to share top billing on his farewell tour with the likes of Steph Curry, Jaylen Brown or James Harden? — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

The Heat are also considered viable after acquiring Giannis, while a Cavaliers return for a farewell tour faces skepticism regarding a minimum deal. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Imperative Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1580, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1669, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for farewell

• bagatelle
• calomel
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• coronel
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle

Kids Definition

farewell

1 of 3 imperative verb

fare·​well fa(ə)r-ˈwel 

fe(ə)r-

: get along well

—used to or by one departing

farewell

2 of 3 noun

1

: an expression of good wishes at parting : good-bye

2

: an act of departure

farewell

3 of 3 adjective

fare·​well

ˌfa(ə)r-ˌwel, 

ˌfe(ə)r-

: of or relating to a time or act of leaving : final

a farewell concert