farewell

1 of 4

imperative verb

fare·​well fer-ˈwel How to pronounce farewell (audio)
: get along well
used interjectionally to or by one departing

farewell

2 of 4

noun

fare·​well fer-ˈwel How to pronounce farewell (audio)
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 How to pronounce farewell (audio)

transitive verb

chiefly Australia and New Zealand
: to bid farewell to

farewell

4 of 4

adjective

fare·​well ˈfer-ˌwel How to pronounce farewell (audio)
: of or relating to leave-taking : final
a farewell performance

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Imperative verb
But how farewell their rebellion really go when academic conformity is the key to get into top-notch colleges? Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025 How did Roger Daltrey sound on The Who farewell tour? Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
In his farewell video, Busquets thanked FC Barcelona, Inter Miami, his teammates, and his family. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025 Week 2 of Dancing With the Stars delivered its first major shake-up of Season 34, as the ballroom bid farewell to two celebrity contestants. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
But how farewell their rebellion really go when academic conformity is the key to get into top-notch colleges? Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025 How did Roger Daltrey sound on The Who farewell tour? Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Osbourne was able to complete a proper farewell concert in the weeks before his death and his fans have been paying tribute to him ever since. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Sep. 2025 Slayer produced a farewell tour in 2018-2019 but has regrouped for a few shows in the years since. Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for farewell

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of farewell was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Farewell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farewell. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

farewell

1 of 3 imperative verb
fare·​well fa(ə)r-ˈwel How to pronounce farewell (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on farewell

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!