Meanings
- informalGoodbye; a valediction used when leaving or departing from a person or place.
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
1 more example
He had a lot to say / He had a lot of nothing to say / We'll miss him / We'll miss him / We're gonna miss him / We're gonna miss him / So long / We wish you well / You told us how you weren't afraid to die / Well, so long / Don't cry / Or feel too down / Not all martyrs see divinity / But at least you tried / Standing above the crowd / He had a voice that was strong and loud / We'll miss him / We'll miss him
1996, “Eulogy”, in Maynard James Keenan (lyrics), Ænima, performed by Tool
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Uncertain. Compare to Swedish hej så länge and Russian пока (poka). See Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “so long”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan fins aviat, fins ara
- fins aviatinformal: goodbye
- fins arainformal: goodbye
Chinese Mandarin 拜拜, 再見 /再见
- 拜拜 (báibái)informal: goodbye
- 再見 /再见 (zàijiàn)informal: goodbye
Finnish moikka
- moikkainformal: goodbye
French à bientôt, salut
- à bientôtinformal: goodbye
- salutinformal: goodbye
German bis bald
- bis baldinformal: goodbye
Hebrew כֹּל טוֹב
- כֹּל טוֹב (kol tov)informal: goodbye
Hungarian viszlát, szia
- viszlátinformal: goodbye
- sziainformal: goodbye
Icelandic sjáumst
- sjáumstinformal: goodbye
Italian addio, a presto
- addioinformal: goodbye
- a prestoinformal: goodbye
- ci vediamoinformal: goodbye
Norwegian ha det
- ha detinformal: goodbye
Polish na razie, do widzenia
- na razieinformal: goodbye
- do widzeniainformal: goodbye
- do zobaczeniainformal: goodbye
Russian пока́, до ско́рого
- пока́ (poká)informal: goodbye
- до ско́рого (do skórovo)informal: goodbye
Spanish hasta la vista, hasta pronto
- hasta la vistainformal: goodbye
- hasta prontoinformal: goodbye
- hasta luegoinformal: goodbye
- nos vemosinformal: goodbye
Swedish ajöss
- ajössinformal: goodbye
Turkish elveda
- elvedainformal: goodbye
Vietnamese tạm biệt
- tạm biệtinformal: goodbye
Cite this entry
so long. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so%20long
“so long.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so%20long. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “so long,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/so%20long.
Source: so long on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.