bon voyage

noun

bon voy·​age
ˌbōⁿ-ˌvȯi-ˈäzh,
ˌbän- How to pronounce bon voyage (audio)
ˌbōⁿ-ˌvwī-ˈäzh,
-ˌvwä-ˈyäzh How to pronounce bon voyage (audio)
plural bon voyages
: an expression of good wishes when someone leaves on a journey : goodbye
often used interjectionally

Examples of bon voyage in a Sentence

The crowd waved bon voyage as the ship left the dock. everyone said their bon voyages as the happy couple left on a cruise for their honeymoon
Recent Examples on the Web But, before many of the would-be travelers could say bon voyage, new restrictions were instituted. Kelly Yamanouchi, ajc, 23 Dec. 2021 Brush up on a few French language phrases, and then bon voyage! Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2021 Later, the crew of forty guests were welcomed into Whitney Wolfe Herd’s recently competed mountain home for a bon voyage pizza party to send everyone off to their next port of call. Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2019 What better way to bid them bon voyage than with this elegant minimalist passport cover from Cuyana? Sunset, 22 Jan. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bon voyage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, good journey!

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bon voyage was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bon voyage

Cite this Entry

“Bon voyage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bon%20voyage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bon voyage

noun
bon voy·​age ˌbōn-ˌvwī-ˈäzh How to pronounce bon voyage (audio) -ˌvwä-ˈyäzh How to pronounce bon voyage (audio)
ˌbän-
: farewell entry 2 sense 1
usually used as an interjection
Etymology

French, literally, "good journey"

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