Meaning & use
for good
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Permanently, so that something will not change, return, or happen again.
Grammar: Goes after a verb, usually at the end of the sentence: They left for good.
Patterns
- leave for good
- be gone for good
- give something up for good
After ten years in the city, they moved back to the countryside for good.
The old library closed for good last summer, and the building is now a hotel.
He says he has quit smoking for good this time.
phrasefixed phrase
Used to stress that a change is final after earlier failed attempts.
Grammar: Often follows verbs like quit, stop, end, close when the speaker wants to sound definite.
Patterns
- quit something for good
- end something for good
She ended the relationship for good after the third argument.
The factory stopped production for good in December, and the machines were sold.
Common combinations
- gone for good
- My umbrella is gone for good — I left it on the train.
- leave for good
- He left for good without saying goodbye to anyone.
- end something for good
- The new rules ended the practice for good.
- quit for good
- It took him five tries to quit for good.
- back for good
- The band is back for good, with a new album and tour.
Synonyms and how they differ
- permanently
- More neutral and formal; it can describe any lasting state, while for good often suggests a deliberate final decision.
- forever
- Stronger and often emotional; forever can be poetic or exaggerated, but for good is plain and factual.
- for keeps
- Informal and mostly about keeping an object; for good is used for endings and changes of situation.
Opposites
Commonly confused: for good or for the good of? for good or good?
for good vs for the good of
A different expression meaning for the benefit of someone or something: He acted for the good of the team.
for good vs good
The adjective meaning pleasant or of high quality; for good is a fixed phrase about permanence, not about being nice.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'for good' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'For good' means permanently, so it fits a final closing. Option A confuses it with the adjective 'good', option C is missing 'the' in 'for the good of', and option D is not a real pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “for good”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.