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
So farewell to Clean Slate and farewell to the entire Freevee half-hour slate, now cleaned off the board. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 On our sailing, guests would say farewell or hop on for the first time at every port. Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
Hundreds of thousands of mourners have already lined up to pay their respects and bid farewell to Pope Francis ahead of the funeral on Saturday morning, April 26. Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025 In keeping with tradition, the Mass will include a homily and communion and end with a final commendation and farewell. Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
So farewell to Clean Slate and farewell to the entire Freevee half-hour slate, now cleaned off the board. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 On our sailing, guests would say farewell or hop on for the first time at every port. Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Bespoke services and experiences include welcome and farewell dinners prepared by renowned local chefs; pre-arrival grocery shopping service and daily housekeeping; professional photography sessions; and personalized cooking lessons. Passport By Forbeslife, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025 February 23, 1967: Seventh and eighth grade students surprised Mrs. Muriel Kidder at a farewell party Friday afternoon at Chaska Public School. Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Farewell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farewell. Accessed 2 May. 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

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