What does goodbye mean?
Goodbye is a familiar English farewell used when someone is leaving, ending a conversation, or marking the close of a relationship or period of life. As an interjection, it accompanies departures and often carries warmth, regret, finality, or a mixture of these feelings. As a noun, “goodbye” refers to a farewell expression, as in “she said her goodbyes.” The word is common in both formal and informal settings, although the abbreviated “bye” is more typical of casual conversation. Its history is especially memorable: goodbye developed in the early modern period as a shortening of the expression “God be with ye,” itself a shortened form of “God be with you.” The contraction gradually became a secular farewell while retaining the affectionate, respectful character of its religious source. Today, goodbye is among the most widely used parting expressions in English and can be made more final with modifiers such as “final” or “forever.”
A farewell expression spoken when leaving, ending a conversation, or departing permanently.
"Goodbye, everyone, and thank you for coming."
The expression is grammatically independent and commonly followed by punctuation, especially a comma, period, or exclamation mark.
A statement or expression of farewell, especially one indicating a departure or permanent separation.
"They exchanged final goodbyes at the airport."
The countable plural is “goodbyes.”
Used for separate farewell expressions or acts of saying farewell.
"She said her goodbyes and left the room."
Goodbye began as a shortened version of the farewell “God be with ye,” and it is now one of the most recognizable parting words in English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does goodbye come from?
Goodbye developed as a shortened form of the English farewell “God be with ye,” with “ye” being the historical form of “you.” The contracted expression appeared in the 17th century, alongside spellings such as “good bye.” The older, unabbreviated blessing survives as “God be with you” and remains especially familiar in religious and formal contexts.
Related word forms
How goodbye is actually used
Goodbye is standard in formal, informal, and neutral contexts in both British and American English. The shortened “bye” is especially common in informal speech, while “good-bye” with a hyphen is a traditional spelling variant. Goodbye can express a simple departure, an affectionate farewell, or a sense of finality depending on context.