goodbye

noun

good·​bye gu̇d-ˈbī 

gə(d)-

variants or good-bye or less commonly goodby or good-by

1

: a concluding remark or gesture at parting

—often used interjectionally

2

: a taking of leave

a tearful goodbye

Synonyms

• farewell

Examples of goodbye in a Sentence

said our good-byes and headed for home

Recent Examples on the Web

Her little spark of life, captured in a moment between goodbye and dinner time, has become a reminder of resilience and love. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025

The weekend talk show hosted by Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee Biegel, Jeff Mauro, Geoffrey Zakarian and recurring guest host Alex Guarnaschelli is saying goodbye in December and the reactions to the news came pouring in. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025

Fans held out hope that Frehley and Peter Criss would pop up at the event and give the world the proper goodbye they were denied on the second farewell tour. —Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025

Now the triple Grammy winner is stepping away from recording music, but not without a final goodbye. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of God be with you

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing goodbye

• kiss goodbye
• kiss something goodbye
• say goodbye to
• wave goodbye

Rhymes for goodbye

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

good-bye

noun

variants or good-by

gu̇d-ˈbī,

gəd-,

gə-

: a concluding remark at parting

—often used interjectionally

Etymology

a shortened and altered form of God be with you