say goodbye

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

say goodbye (third-person singular simple present says goodbye, present participle saying goodbye, simple past and past participle said goodbye)

1. (literal sense) To wish someone farewell upon their leaving.
   • 1967, Lennon–McCartney (lyrics and music), “Hello, Goodbye”, performed by The Beatles:

     Hello, hello / I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello

2. (idiomatic) To separate from someone or something.

   If we can't agree on whether to have children, maybe it's time to say goodbye.

3. (idiomatic, figurative) To cease to have, or have to do, something.

   Say goodbye to long waits at the airport with our new preboarding service.

   You can say goodbye to your inheritance if you annoy your parents too much!

Synonyms

• (separate from someone): take one's leave

Translations

wish someone farewell upon their leaving

• Arabic: وَدَّعَ (ar) (waddaʕa)
• Azerbaijani: sağollaşmaq, vidalaşmaq, xudahafizləşmək
• Basque: agurkatu
• Belarusian: разві́твацца impf (razvítvacca), развіта́цца pf (razvitácca), адві́твацца impf (advítvacca), адвіта́цца pf (advitácca), жагна́цца impf (žahnácca), пажагна́цца pf (pažahnácca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 告別／告别 (zh) (gàobié)

• Czech: loučit se impf
• Dutch: gedag zeggen, vaarwel zeggen, afscheid nemen
• Finnish: hyvästellä (fi)
• French: dire adieu (fr), faire ses adieux (fr), prendre congé de (fr), dire au revoir (fr)
• German: Abschied nehmen, sich verabschieden (de), Lebewohl sagen, auf Wiedersehen sagen
• Greek: αποχαιρετώ (el) (apochairetó)
• Hungarian: búcsúzik (hu), elbúcsúzik (hu), elköszön (hu), búcsút mond, búcsút vesz
• Irish: ceiliúir

  Old Irish: celebraid

• Italian: congedarsi
• Japanese: いとまごいをする (itomagoi o suru), 別れを告げる (わかれをつげる, wakare o tsugeru), 告別する (ja) (こくべつする, kokubetsu suru)
• Korean: 작별을 고하다 (jakbyeoreul gohada), 이별을 고하다 (ibyeoreul gohada), 리별을 고하다 (ribyeoreul gohada) (North Korea)
• Norwegian: ta adjø, ta avskjed, ta farvel, si adjø
• Polish: żegnać się (pl) impf, pożegnać się (pl) pf
• Portuguese: despedir-se
• Russian: проща́ться (ru) impf (proščátʹsja), прости́ться (ru) pf (prostítʹsja), попроща́ться (ru) pf (poproščátʹsja)
• Slovene: se posloviti
• Spanish: despedirse (es)
• Swedish: ta farväl
• Turkish: hoşçakal demek
• Ukrainian: проща́тися impf (proščátysja), прости́тися pf (prostýtysja), попроща́тися pf (poproščátysja)
• Vietnamese: chia tay (vi)
• Volapük: leditön (vo)

separate from someone

• Hungarian: elbúcsúzik (hu), búcsút mond, elválnak útjaik

See also

• say hello
• wave goodbye