good evening

Meanings

1. 1interjectionfixed phraseformal

   A polite greeting said when you meet someone in the evening.

   Grammar: Used alone or followed by a name: Good evening, Mr. Lopez.

   Patterns

   • Good evening, someone

   Good evening, and welcome to the restaurant.

   The host smiled and said, "Good evening, everyone."

   Good evening, Mrs. Clark. Your table is ready.

2. 2interjectionfixed phraseformalold-fashioned

   A formal way of saying goodbye to someone in the evening.

   Grammar: Less common than as a greeting; usually said as someone leaves.

   Well, I must go now. Good evening to you.

   She nodded politely and said, "Good evening," before closing the door.

Common combinations

say good evening

He stopped to say good evening to the neighbors.

wish someone a good evening

We wished the guests a good evening as they left.

good evening, ladies and gentlemen

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming.

good evening and welcome

Good evening and welcome to tonight's broadcast.

Synonyms and how they differ

hello

Hello works at any time and is more casual, whereas good evening is tied to the time of day and sounds polished.

hi

Hi is informal and friendly, so it would be odd in a formal announcement where good evening fits.

evening

A bare 'evening' is a short, casual version of good evening, used between people who know each other.

Opposites

Word family

evening noun

the part of the day between afternoon and night

good night interjection

said at bedtime or when parting late at night

good afternoon interjection

a greeting used between noon and early evening

Commonly confused: good evening or good night?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words