Phrase guide

au revoir

intj · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌəʊ.ɹə ˈvwɑː/
  • UK: /ɔːɹ ˈvwɑː/
  • UK: /o.ʁə ˈvwaʁ/
  • UK: /ɔʁ ˈvwaʁ/
  • US: /ˌoʊ.ɹə ˈvwɑɹ/
  • US: /ˌɑ.ɹə ˈvwɑɹ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)

1

intj

Meaning 1

Goodbye; till we meet again.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 2000 January 22, Philipp Goedicke, Carl Kasell (announcer), “Listener Limerick Challenge”, Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!, National Public Radio Though about it the South used to brag / I’m afraid it’s become such a drag / We should say au revoir / To the old stars and bars
  • 2001 November 23, Jack Hassell, “Au Revoir!”, Object Management Group, mail archive, www.omg.org https://web.archive.org/web/20050123185851/http://www.omg.org/archives/dtc/msg03667.html After about 40++ TC meetings and over seven years, it's time to say "au revoir" - at least for now.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: adieu, adios, aloha, arrivederci, auf Wiedersehen, au revoir, badbye, BCNU, bye, bye-bye, catch you later, ciao, cheerio, cheers, cheery-bye, chur, farewell, good day, Godspeed, hasta la vista, baby, have a nice day, hooroo, I have to love you and leave you, keep it real, late, later, laters, peace out, sayonara, see ya, see you, see you after, see you in the funny papers, see you later, see you later alligator, shalom, smell ya later, smell you later, so long, take care, ta-ta, tatty bye, tinkety-tonk, toodle-oo, toodle-pip, toodles, TTFN, ttyl

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a farewell remark

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they said their good-byes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: adieu, adios, arrivederci, auf wiedersehen, bye, bye-bye, cheerio, good-by, goodby, good-bye, goodbye, good day, sayonara, so long

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: farewell, word of farewell

History

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French au revoir, with relatively formal but otherwise identical meaning, possibly due to the cumbersome nature of formal English equivalents.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: довиждане (doviždane) — Translations
  • Catalan: a reveure — Translations
  • Chinese Cantonese: 再見 /再见 (zoi3 gin3) — Translations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 再見 /再见 (zàijiàn) — Translations
  • Finnish: näkemiin — Translations
  • French: au revoir — Translations
  • Greek: ορεβουάρ (orevouár) — Translations
  • Greek: στο επανιδείν (sto epanideín) — Translations
  • Interlingua: a revider — Translations
  • Indonesian: sampai jumpa — Translations
  • Indonesian: selamat tinggal — Translations
  • Japanese: また今度 (mata kondo) — Translations
  • Malay: jumpa lagi — Translations
  • Polish: do widzenia — Translations
  • Portuguese: até mais — Translations
  • Spanish: adiós — Translations
  • Spanish: hasta la vista — Translations