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
: of or relating to leave-taking : final
a farewell performance
Synonyms
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
Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2024
At the Jewish Museum talk this month, as security guards escorted one group of activists out, Cherkassky bade them farewell with an expletive.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Jessie Yeung, CNN, 26 June 2024
For Dries Van Noten’s farewell show on Saturday, there was hardly a celebrity in sight.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 23 June 2024
Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2024
At the Jewish Museum talk this month, as security guards escorted one group of activists out, Cherkassky bade them farewell with an expletive.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Julia Teti, WWD, 27 June 2024
After a remarkable 20-year run as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern will conduct his farewell concert with the orchestra June 21 to 23 at Helzberg Hall.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for farewell 
Imperative verb
The series chronicles the journey from the fest’s origins as a Jane’s Addiction farewell tour to its becoming a cultural phenomenon.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2024
At the Jewish Museum talk this month, as security guards escorted one group of activists out, Cherkassky bade them farewell with an expletive.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Noun
They were given a celebratory farewell at the Chinese base, attended by American and Chinese dignitaries, including performances and a gift exchange, according to a statement from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN, 26 June 2024
For Dries Van Noten’s farewell show on Saturday, there was hardly a celebrity in sight.
—Joelle Diderich, WWD, 23 June 2024
Verb
The series chronicles the journey from the fest’s origins as a Jane’s Addiction farewell tour to its becoming a cultural phenomenon.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 19 Mar. 2024
At the Jewish Museum talk this month, as security guards escorted one group of activists out, Cherkassky bade them farewell with an expletive.
—Marc Tracy, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Empress Masako of Japan opted for a simple skirt suit, with coordinated heels for her farewell audience with the king and queen consort.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 27 June 2024
After a remarkable 20-year run as music director of the Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern will conduct his farewell concert with the orchestra June 21 to 23 at Helzberg Hall.
—Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 14 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for farewell
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'farewell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near farewell
Cite this Entry
“Farewell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farewell. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
: 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
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