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

Recalling a former boss who whispered intimate good-byes to his appliances when his restaurant closed, Luca says that the head chef didn’t receive similar farewells from his employees. — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026

In the YouTube video, Stefanovic offered an emotional farewell to his free-to-air audience. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 June 2026

Verb

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

To bid the royals farewell a few days later, the first lady slipped into a more casual version go-to black-and-white pantsuit. — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 9 June 2026

Adjective

As Taylor Swift appeared on the screen at Nissan Stadium during Alan Jackson's farewell concert in Nashville, the singer-songwriter was met with boos and cheers during her special video message. — Bryan West, USA Today, 28 June 2026

One of them showed a video from a farewell party; his colleagues at the Leonardo Club Dead Sea, an all-inclusive waterfront hotel, warmly thanked him for his work. — Nirit Peled, New Yorker, 26 June 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