adios

Meanings

1. 1interjectioninformal

   A casual way to say goodbye, often with a light or playful tone.

   Grammar: Stands alone as a farewell; do not add an object or subject.

   Patterns

   • Adios!
   • Adios, everyone.
   • say adios to someone

   Well, adios, everyone — see you next week!

   He waved and called "Adios!" as he left the party.

   Adios, amigo — it was great catching up with you.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   An act of saying goodbye or leaving.

   Grammar: Usually singular and informal, as in "say your adios."

   Patterns

   • say your adios
   • a quick adios
   • give someone an adios

   She said her adios and walked out the door.

   After a quick adios, the team headed home.

   That was his final adios to the old office.

Word forms

Common combinations

say adios

He said adios and caught the last train.

adios, amigo

"Adios, amigo," she laughed as the taxi pulled away.

wave adios

The kids waved adios from the school bus window.

a final adios

The band gave the crowd a final adios.

Synonyms and how they differ

goodbye

The neutral, standard farewell; use it in any situation, while adios sounds casual or playful.

bye

Very common and informal, but not borrowed from Spanish; adios adds a slightly foreign or humorous flavor.

farewell

Formal or literary; adios is the opposite in register, light and everyday.

so long

Informal and friendly, common in American English; adios sounds a little more dramatic or Spanish-flavored.

Opposites

Word family

adiós interjection

The Spanish spelling with an accent, also used in English writing.

Commonly confused: adios or adieu? adios or audios?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “adios”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words