# goodnight

/ˈɡʊdˌnaɪt/ (US) · /ɡʊdnˈaɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/goodnight
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. a nighttime farewell

interjection · CEFR A1

you say this when leaving someone at night or when you are going to bed.

For teachers: a formulaic expression used as a farewell during the evening or immediately prior to sleep.

- She kissed the children and said goodnight before turning off the light.
- After a long dinner and much laughter, the guests finally said goodnight and headed to their respective cars.

### 2. the act of saying goodbye

noun · CEFR B1

the act of saying goodbye at the end of the evening.

For teachers: an instance of bidding farewell at night.

- They shared a quick goodnight at the front door before he left.
- Their lingering goodnight suggested that neither was particularly eager for the evening to come to an end.

### 3. to say goodbye to someone

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to say 'goodnight' to someone.

For teachers: to bid someone good night; often used transitively.

- He goodnighted his hosts and walked out into the cool evening air.
- Having goodnighted the rest of the household, the old man sat alone by the fire to finish his book.

## Examples

- Goodnight, see you in the morning.
- She kissed her children on the forehead and whispered goodnight before turning off the light.
- As the dinner party wound down and the last guests departed into the cool evening air, the host stood at the door to bid each one a warm goodnight.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.