goodnight
- 01 A1 Beginner
interj.you say this when leaving someone at night or when you are going to bed.
interj.a formulaic expression used as a farewell during the evening or immediately prior to sleep.
Simple“She kissed the children and said goodnight before turning off the light.”
In context“After a long dinner and much laughter, the guests finally said goodnight and headed to their respective cars.”
PitfallI said goodnight to him when I arrived at the party. I said good evening to him when I arrived at the party.Use 'goodnight' only when leaving or going to sleep. Use 'good evening' when you arrive somewhere at night.
Synonymssleep wellnight nightAntonyms - 02 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of saying goodbye at the end of the evening.
n.an instance of bidding farewell at night.
Simple“They shared a quick goodnight at the front door before he left.”
In context“Their lingering goodnight suggested that neither was particularly eager for the evening to come to an end.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to say 'goodnight' to someone.
v.to bid someone good night; often used transitively.
Simple“He goodnighted his hosts and walked out into the cool evening air.”
In context“Having goodnighted the rest of the household, the old man sat alone by the fire to finish his book.”
Synonymsbid farewell
From good + night.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.