Meaning & use
bid farewell
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Meanings
phraseidiomformalliterary
To say goodbye to someone or something, often at a significant parting.
Grammar: Takes 'to' for the person or thing: bid farewell to the crew.
Patterns
- bid farewell to someone
- bid someone farewell
The captain stood on the deck to bid farewell to the crew.
They gathered at the station to bid farewell to their friend.
The retiring teacher bid farewell to the school after thirty years.
phraseidiomformalfigurative
To give up or stop having something, as when something comes to an end.
Grammar: Figurative use with a thing: bid farewell to old habits.
Patterns
- bid farewell to something
We can bid farewell to long queues now that the new system is running.
After the move, she bid farewell to her long commute.
Fans bid farewell to the old stadium with a final match.
Word forms
| third person singular | bids farewell |
|---|---|
| past tense | bade farewell |
| past participle | bid farewell |
| -ing form | bidding farewell |
Common combinations
- bid farewell to
- He bid farewell to his hometown.
- tearfully bid farewell
- She tearfully bid farewell to her family.
- bid a final farewell
- They bid a final farewell to the old house.
- reluctantly bid farewell
- The team reluctantly bid farewell to their coach.
- bid farewell to the past
- It is time to bid farewell to the past.
Synonyms and how they differ
- say goodbye
- Say goodbye is plain and everyday, while bid farewell sounds more formal or ceremonial.
- take leave of
- Take leave of is more old-fashioned and formal, and used almost only for people.
- see off
- See off means going with someone as they depart, while bid farewell is about the words of parting.
- wave goodbye
- Wave goodbye describes a physical gesture, not the formal act of parting.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: bid farewell or bid vs. bade? bid farewell or bid goodbye?
bid farewell vs bid vs. bade
Bade /bæd/ or /beɪd/ is the older past tense of bid in this sense, while bid is acceptable in modern use.
bid farewell vs bid goodbye
Bid goodbye is understood but less natural; farewell is the usual partner for bid.
Practice
The whole village gathered to ____ to the departing doctor.
Choose one answer.
'Bid farewell' is the established formal phrase for saying goodbye. The other combinations do not occur naturally.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bid farewell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.