farewell

imperative verb

fare·well | \fer-ˈwel

Definition of farewell

(Entry 1 of 4)

: get along well —used interjectionally to or by one departing

farewell

noun

fare·well | \fer-ˈwel

Definition of farewell (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : a wish of well-being at parting : goodbye said their farewells and headed home

2a : 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

verb

fare·well | \fer-ˈwel

Definition of farewell (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

chiefly Australia and New Zealand

: to bid farewell to

farewell

adjective

fare·well | \ˈfer-ˌwel

Definition of farewell (Entry 4 of 4)

: of or relating to leave-taking : final a farewell performance

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about farewell

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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: Noun

Amy, along with Zach, Jackson, and Matt, all bid farewell to Dean, a veteran member of the Little People, Big World production crew. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Amy Roloff Bids Farewell to a Key Member of the 'Little People, Big World' Team," 7 Sep. 2018 Barack Obama bid farewell to at least a couple million. — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, "Twitter purge wipes out a big chunk of Trump, Obama followers — and Twitter's own," 12 July 2018 And Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, will forever be a part of one of television’s most prestigious — and heavily criticized — shows, even as the veteran actress bids farewell to the snows of Winterfell. — Meagan Fredette, refinery29.com, "Is Arya Stark The Last Woman Standing On Game Of Thrones?," 7 July 2018 The Merrillville School Board bid farewell to Michael Berta Jr., while announcing a promotion for another Berta. — Carole Carlson, Post-Tribune, "Merrillville says goodbye to one Berta, promotes another," 20 June 2018 In 2009, Florida International University's Board of Trustees bid farewell to its departing president of 23 years with a swell parting gift. — Colleen Wright, miamiherald, "FIU board, eyeing opportunity and punishment, considers renaming Maidique campus," 18 June 2018 With boys in dark blue gowns and girls in white, the Class of 2018 bid farewell to St. Paul Catholic High School on Tuesday. — Don Stacom, Courant Community, "St. Paul Catholic High School Graduates 104," 4 June 2018 Andres Iniesta bid farewell to Barcelona 22 years since his arrival as a child. — Jorge Torres, chicagotribune.com, "Opinion: Farewell, 'Don Andres'," 24 May 2018 During a solemn ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, Gov. Nathan Deal and former Gov. Sonny Perdue bid farewell to the two-term governor who launched the state’s popular HOPE scholarship. — Ajc Homepage, ajc, "ICYMI: Legislature 2018 comes to an end; Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy; farewells to Zell Miller," 31 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The Last Waltz Martin Scorsese famously captured the Band’s farewell performance at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving 1976 in perhaps the most iconic concert film ever. — Vogue, "13 Movies You Totally Forgot Were Set on Thanksgiving," 22 Nov. 2018 Apparently, the memory wipe didn’t take for silly reasons that hand-wave away his beautifully melancholy farewell moment. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "Even for the Harry Potter hardcore, Crimes of Grindelwald is one convoluted movie," 8 Nov. 2018 The Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande tattoo farewell tour continues. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Pete Davidson Covered Another Tattoo That He Shared With Ariana Grande," 6 Nov. 2018 Burbey gave what amounted to a farewell address to the school board during the public comment period early in the June 11 meeting. — Allan Vought, The Aegis, "Moving back to classroom, Harford teachers union leader steps down," 6 July 2018 WWE SummerSlam's billed as Joe Louis Arena's last ticketed public event, gave metro Detroiters a chance to say farewell to the arena. — Deasia Paige, Detroit Free Press, "On this date: Joe Louis Arena dedication touched off lifetime of memories," 12 June 2018 Resnik, who graduated from C. Milton Wright High School May 25, gave emotional farewell remarks to his nine fellow board members and Superintendent Barbara Canavan during the board’s lengthy final meeting of the 2018-19 school year Monday night. — Allan Vought, The Aegis, "Harford School board student member Resnik bids farewell, says thanks," 13 June 2018 In June, a local business group hosted a farewell event, with tours led by a longtime employee. — Lauren Zumbach, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago's last Sears to close for good Sunday," 13 July 2018 Zsa Zsa’s family held a farewell ceremony for her in their back yard. — Alix Langone, Time, "Zsa Zsa, The World's Ugliest Dog, Has Died Just 9 Days After Securing Her Title," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'farewell.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.