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

The Blue Bloods farewell, for instance, the thousandth episode of NCIS [special]. —Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026

Son returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to bid the home fans farewell as Spurs beat Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Champions League on December 9, following his summer transfer to the United States. —Elias Burke, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026

Noun

Leo departed for Rome after a farewell ceremony at the Malabo airport, ending an 11-day, four-nation voyage that took him from Algeria in the north of Africa to Angola in the south and Cameroon in between. —ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026

There’s misperceived betrayals, a surprise pregnancy, sudden abandonment, a sentimental reconciliation, a fatal illness and a tearful farewell. —Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026

Verb

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

Son returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to bid the home fans farewell as Spurs beat Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Champions League on December 9, following his summer transfer to the United States. —Elias Burke, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2026

Adjective

In 2025, Lauper wrapped up her farewell tour, a goodbye to taking her act on the road, but clearly not to performing altogether. —Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026

Cramer pointed to Cook's farewell letter where the CEO described starting his mornings by reading emails from customers. —Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 21 Apr. 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
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• citadel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel

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