say goodbye to
/seɪ ɡʊdˈbaɪ tuː/
Meaning
To bid farewell to someone or something. It can be used literally when leaving a person, or metaphorically when letting go of an object, habit, or phase of life.
Examples
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We need to leave now, so go say goodbye to your friends.
We need to leave now, so go say goodbye to your friends.
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It was hard to say goodbye to the old house we lived in for ten years.
It was hard to say goodbye to the old house we lived in for ten years.
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I hate saying goodbye to my family at the airport.
I hate saying goodbye to my family at the airport.
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You can say goodbye to your free time once the baby is born!
You can say goodbye to your free time once the baby is born!
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She left the party early without saying goodbye to anyone.
She left the party early without saying goodbye to anyone.
Common Mistakes
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✗ I want to say goodbye for my teacher.
✓ I want to say goodbye to my teacher.
To bid farewell to someone, we use the preposition 'to', not 'for'.
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✗ He said me goodbye and left.
✓ He said goodbye to me and left.
Just like 'say hello', 'say' needs 'to' before the person you are addressing.
Related Expressions
Practice
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It's getting late, so I should go ___ the host.
💡 Bid farewell to the person who invited you.
Show answer
say goodbye to
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With this new job, you can ___ working weekends!
💡 A figurative way to say you won't have to deal with weekends anymore.
Show answer
say goodbye to