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Glite Dictionary
for good

for good

237 2.8
Forever, not coming back to how things were before
  • idiom
  • /fɔr ɡʊd/
translation icon : para siempre
  • One goal of this board was to create standards for good teaching.
  • gone for good
  • leave for good
  • settled for good

So by August, the Germans had actually been pushed out for good from Fleury.

Examples

  • Imagine if we all made the choice to live for good by religion.

  • And when you tell stories for good, you can move mountains.

  • No, he just needs to go away for good.

    Hit Man (2024)

  • American power is generally a force for good in the world.

    Academic text (2011)

  • But after a series of missing persons reports and a devastating fire, the park eventually closed for good.

    Shelby Oaks (2025)

  • You're out of the cop business for good, forever.

    Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)

  • And we've lost radio contact, maybe for good.

    Armageddon (1998)

  • My home, it's fine, but when I finally leave it, it'll be for good.

    Honor Society (2022)

  • I'm walking away for good, and you won't be able to catch up.

  • After months of deliberation, she decided to leave the city for good, seeking a fresh start elsewhere.

Synonyms

permanently
vsfor good
218 2.9

Stays the same for all time

appears as a multiword phrase rather than a single word adverb
in perpetuity
vsfor good
  • Formal
16 7.8

A time that lasts forever

is less formal and more idiomatic than this legal phrase
forevermore
vsfor good
  • Archaic
8 6.8

Always from now on

is more neutral modern phrasing rather than archaic or poetic wording
for keeps
vsfor good
  • Informal
8 6.3

To have something forever, not just for a short time

expresses pure permanence without the sense of intention or possession
for the long run
vsfor good
4 3.3

Over a long time into the future

implies absolute permanence rather than a probable long duration
for good and all
vsfor good
  • Informal
1 5.3

Forever, with no return or change

is the same meaning but is a shorter, less emphatic phrase

Antonyms

temporarily
222 3.2

For a short time and not permanent

How Permanent

forever
∞ 1.0
for good
237 2.8
temporarily
222 3.2
fleetingly
4 5.5

Surface Forms

good positive

Morphology

for + good

While 'for' can mark duration, the adjective 'good' does not literally mean 'permanently', so a learner who only composes the parts is unlikely to arrive directly at 'permanently/forever'. The phrase is conventionalized to mean 'permanently' and has partial cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. French 'pour de bon'), but the specific interpretation is not fully predictable from the constituents, making it only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrase for good comes from an older saying 'for good and all', where good meant something final. Imagine closing and locking a door so you do not plan to open it again; that image shows why for good means 'forever'.