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 verb

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

Noun

• adieu
• au revoir
• ave
• bon voyage
• congé
• congee
• Godspeed
• good-bye
• good-by

Adjective

• parting
• valedictory

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

Ticket window: Just a reminder that tickets for a stop on The Who farewell tour at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Aug. 16 will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, May 16, at SeatGeek.com. —Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 15 May 2025

The Who farewell tour tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. May 16, thewho.com/tour/. There are also a The Who farewell tour tickets presale for Citi cardholders that runs from 10 a.m. May 13 to 10 p.m. May 15, www.citientertainment.com. —Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 8 May 2025

Noun

His career ended not with a farewell tour but with a crash at Pocono in 2022. —Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

The Who is set to embark on a North American farewell tour titled The Song Is Over. —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 20 May 2025

Verb

Ticket window: Just a reminder that tickets for a stop on The Who farewell tour at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise on Aug. 16 will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, May 16, at SeatGeek.com. —Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 15 May 2025

In August, Springsteen shut down retirement and farewell tour rumors when speaking to his crowd at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024

Adjective

On the heels of what is expected to be his farewell performance as Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise is ready to revisit some of his other beloved roles. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 18 May 2025

There was a lot of gratitude expressed at the San Jose Museum of Art on Wednesday at a farewell reception for S. Sayre Batton, the downtown institution’s outgoing executive director. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 10 May 2025

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