farewell

1 of 4

imperative verb

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

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

Synonyms of farewell

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Noun

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
This spring, many teachers and staff members will say farewell to their home campuses. — Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 22 Mar. 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
Noun
Chilling details emerge about Khamenei's body as Iran prepares to bid farewell to leader. — FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 The mosque opened to the public on Saturday for a farewell ceremony. — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Verb
This spring, many teachers and staff members will say farewell to their home campuses. — Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 22 Mar. 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
Chris Paul was also traded into retirement after the worst farewell tour in league history. — Law Murray, New York Times, 30 June 2026 James and his camp are seemingly considering the Miami Heat as a possible landing spot for his farewell tour. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 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

Rhymes for farewell

See All Rhymes for farewell

Browse Nearby Words

fareway
farewell
Farewell, Cape
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Farewell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farewell. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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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

Nglish: Translation of farewell for Spanish Speakers

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