ciao

IPA/tʃaʊ/
KK[tʃˈaʊ]IPA/tʃaʊ/

ciao — exclamation

1. An informal greeting or farewell, borrowed from Italian, used both when you meet

1.exclamationB1
Definition

An informal greeting or farewell, borrowed from Italian, used both when you meet someone and when you part from them.

Example

Priya waved from the taxi and shouted, "Ciao, everyone!"

exclamation for departing

As the dinner party ended, Diego said ciao to each guest at the door.

Synonyms
  • bye

    The most common everyday farewell in English; less specific to Italian origin

  • cheers

    British informal goodbye; can also mean 'thank you', while ciao only greets or departs

  • see you

    Implies a future meeting; ciao does not always carry that implication

Usage Note

In English, ciao is more common as a way of saying goodbye than as a greeting. Avoid using it in formal letters or business meetings, where 'goodbye' or 'farewell' are better choices.

Common Mistakes

The CEO said ciao to the board members at the end of the meeting.
The CEO said goodbye to the board members at the end of the meeting.
Ciao is too informal for formal business contexts.

Synonym discussion

Sense: exclamation/1

All four alternatives are informal ways of greeting or parting, but they differ in origin and use. 'Bye' is the most neutral and widely understood English farewell with no regional restriction. 'Cheers' is British and doubles as a toast or 'thank you,' so it can confuse non-British listeners when used for goodbye. 'See you' implies an expectation of meeting again, while ciao can be said even when no future meeting is planned. 'Hello' is only a greeting, never a farewell. Ciao sits in a unique spot: it can serve both roles but is most often heard as a goodbye in English, carrying a friendly, slightly continental flavour. For example, saying 'Ciao!' to a neighbour after a chat feels natural; saying 'Ciao!' at the end of a job interview would sound too casual.

bye ↗cheers ↗see youhello ↗

Etymology

VenetianItalianEnglish

Ciao entered English from Italian in the early 1900s. The Italian word comes from the Venetian phrase 's-ciao vostro' (I am your slave), which was a respectful greeting in the Venetian Republic. Over time it lost its original meaning and became a friendly hello and goodbye.