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

From arrival to farewell, our own driver-guides remained at their disposal, giving them the freedom to explore without ever thinking about logistics. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026

While this loss leaves a silence that words can never fill, farewell messages adorned a growing memorial for both Mikey and Millie, where tributes of light were offered to them. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

Noun

On May 1, 2023, Aerosmith rolled out plans for a 40-date North American ‘Peace Out’ farewell tour. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026

Doing so quickly might still enable him to have a farewell like Messi in Buenos Aires. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

Verb

From arrival to farewell, our own driver-guides remained at their disposal, giving them the freedom to explore without ever thinking about logistics. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026

While this loss leaves a silence that words can never fill, farewell messages adorned a growing memorial for both Mikey and Millie, where tributes of light were offered to them. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Alex Ovechkin said Monday that his 22nd season in the NHL will be his last, beginning the farewell tour for the longtime Washington Capitals captain who holds the league's career goal-scoring record. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

The paperwork is handled well, the farewell party is arranged, gifts are presented and everyone assumes that whatever needed to be passed to the next person has already been passed. — Vikas Arora, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 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