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Meaning & use

bidding farewell

phrase·Advancedformalliterary

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UK/ˌbɪdɪŋ feəˈwel/
US/ˌbɪdɪŋ ferˈwel/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phraseformal

    Saying goodbye to someone or something, especially in a formal or emotional way.

    Grammar: Used as a noun-like phrase after verbs such as be or mean, or as a participle: She is bidding farewell to her old job.

    Patterns

    • be bidding farewell to someone
    • bidding farewell to something
    • a way of bidding farewell

    The whole staff gathered to bid farewell to the retiring manager.

    In her speech she was clearly bidding farewell to a career she had loved.

    Bidding farewell to the old house took longer than anyone expected.

  2. phrasefixed phraseformal

    The act or moment of saying goodbye, often at a ceremony or parting event.

    Grammar: Often follows a preposition: at the bidding farewell, after the bidding farewell; usually needs the or a possessive before it.

    Patterns

    • at the bidding farewell
    • after the bidding farewell
    • during the bidding farewell

    At the bidding farewell, several colleagues wiped away tears.

    The bidding farewell lasted almost an hour because everyone wanted to speak.

    After the bidding farewell, the guests drifted slowly out of the hall.

Common combinations

bid farewell to someone
The captain bid farewell to his crew before stepping ashore.
an emotional bidding farewell
It was an emotional bidding farewell, with hugs and a few tears.
bidding farewell to a place
Leaving the village meant bidding farewell to a place she had known all her life.
a formal bidding farewell
The ambassador arranged a formal bidding farewell for the departing minister.
bidding farewell with a wave
She stood on the platform, bidding farewell with a wave of her hand.

Synonyms and how they differ

saying goodbye
The everyday, neutral choice; bidding farewell sounds more formal and slightly more emotional.
farewell
A noun or interjection meaning the same parting, but it does not need bidding and can stand alone as a word of parting.
leave-taking
A formal noun for the act of departing; it describes the event rather than the words spoken.
valediction
Very formal and mostly literary; it refers to a farewell speech or statement, not to the everyday act.

Opposites

greetingwelcome

Word family

bid verb
To say or offer something, as in bid someone goodbye or bid someone good morning.
farewell noun
An act of parting or a word said when leaving.
farewell interjection
Said at the moment of leaving, like goodbye but more formal.

Commonly confused: bidding farewell or bidding? bidding farewell or goodbye?

bidding farewell vs bidding

Bidding is also the noun for offering money at an auction; bidding farewell comes from the verb bid meaning to say or utter, a different use.

bidding farewell vs goodbye

Goodbye is the ordinary spoken word; bidding farewell is a formal phrase that describes the act of saying it.

Practice

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