goodby

IPA/ɡˈʊdbi/
KK[ɡˈʊdbˌaɪ]IPA/ɡˈʊdbˌaɪ/

goodby — noun

1. a word, phrase, or short gesture spoken when one person is about to leave anothe

1.nounA2
Definition

a word, phrase, or short gesture spoken when one person is about to leave another.

Example

Samir gave a quick goodby and ran to catch the morning bus.

countable noun: a goodby / quick goodby

Jisoo waved a small goodby to her grandmother from the train window.

collocation: wave a goodby

Common collocations
  • a quick goodby
  • a warm goodby
  • wave goodby
  • say goodby to
Synonyms
  • farewell

    more formal; often used in writing or speeches

  • send-off

    a goodby event organised for someone leaving, usually a party

Antonyms
  • greeting

    what you say when you meet someone, not when you leave

Grammar Patterns

say goodby (to someone)

Usage Note

Spelled 'goodby' mainly in American writing; the more common spelling is 'goodbye'. As a noun, it is countable: 'a goodby', 'quick goodbys'.

Common Mistakes

She said me goodby.
She said goodby to me.
say goodby takes the preposition 'to', not a bare object.

2. the act of leaving a person, place, or situation, often together with the moment

2.nounB1
Definition

the act of leaving a person, place, or situation, often together with the moment that marks the end.

Example

Sari's goodby at the airport was harder than she had expected it to be.

noun phrase: someone's goodby at [place]

Defne made a slow goodby to the village where she had grown up.

collocation: make a goodby to [place]

Common collocations
  • a final goodby
  • a slow goodby
  • say one's goodbys
Synonyms
  • leave-taking

    more formal; emphasises the ritual of saying farewell

  • departure

    neutral; focuses on the moment of going rather than the words spoken

  • parting

    literary; suggests emotion in separating from someone

Antonyms
  • arrival

    the moment of coming, opposite of leaving

Grammar Patterns

a goodby (to something or someone)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 names the spoken word or gesture; sense 2 names the whole act or moment of leaving. If you could replace it with 'departure', it is sense 2.

Common Mistakes

He made a goodby that the meeting is over.
He said goodby and the meeting ended.
the noun does not introduce a clause; use a separate sentence or a different verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words mark the end of a meeting, but they differ in tone and setting. 'Goodby' (and its more common spelling 'goodbye') is the everyday word: short, neutral, and used by anyone in any situation, from a quick wave to a long visit. 'Farewell' is more formal and is often used in writing, speeches, or when a separation feels important — a captain's farewell to his ship, a farewell letter. 'Send-off' is a noun for the event itself: a party or group gathering organised to say goodby to someone leaving for a new job, country, or stage of life. 'So long' is casual American spoken English, friendly and a little old-fashioned, used between people who expect to meet again soon.

goodby ↗farewell ↗send-offso long

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • say goodby
  • wave goodby
  • a final goodby

Prepositions

  • to (someone)

Etymology

Old EnglishEarly Modern EnglishModern English

The word comes from the older English phrase 'God be with ye', meaning 'may God be with you'. From the late 1500s, people shortened the phrase in everyday speech to forms like 'godbwye' and 'good-b'w'y', and the modern spellings 'goodby' and 'goodbye' settled in by the 1800s. The 'good-' part was reshaped by analogy with friendly greetings such as 'good day' and 'good night'.