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
: of or relating to leave-taking : final
a farewell performance
Synonyms of farewell
Relevance
Noun
Adjective
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
Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The Blue Bloods farewell, for instance, the thousandth episode of NCIS [special].
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Chris Willman, Variety, 22 May 2026
If there is any question as to whether Colbert was just another left-wing political news outlet, just look at the farewell messages from The Democrats and many liberal politicians following his last night, which aired Thursday night.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Fond farewells to Sugar the Surfing Dog Huntington Beach, California, was in mourning for Sugar the Surfing Dog, the first dog to be inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2026
Throughout the farewell segment, the 58-year-old journalist, who was hired in 2007, reminisced about some career highlights, such as speaking with Holocaust survivors, along with people battling malnutrition in Niger, and interviewing A-listers including Lady Gaga and Prince Harry.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for farewell
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Imperative verb
In preparation for the Alaskan wilderness, the Hoffmans and their crew shop for bear guns, bid their wives farewell, and are prayed over by a local pastor (who decides, at the last minute, to join them).
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The Blue Bloods farewell, for instance, the thousandth episode of NCIS [special].
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
There was precedent for that, with David Letterman’s farewell to the show in 2015 going 17 minutes overtime.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 22 May 2026
If there is any question as to whether Colbert was just another left-wing political news outlet, just look at the farewell messages from The Democrats and many liberal politicians following his last night, which aired Thursday night.
—Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Verb
In preparation for the Alaskan wilderness, the Hoffmans and their crew shop for bear guns, bid their wives farewell, and are prayed over by a local pastor (who decides, at the last minute, to join them).
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Fond farewells to Sugar the Surfing Dog Huntington Beach, California, was in mourning for Sugar the Surfing Dog, the first dog to be inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
No explanation, no farewell episode, no acknowledgment that a human being had just evaporated from the cast.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2026
Throughout the farewell segment, the 58-year-old journalist, who was hired in 2007, reminisced about some career highlights, such as speaking with Holocaust survivors, along with people battling malnutrition in Niger, and interviewing A-listers including Lady Gaga and Prince Harry.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for farewell
Cite this Entry
“Farewell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farewell. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: 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
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