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Glite Dictionary
see you later

see you later

95 1.0
A casual goodbye said when leaving someone and expecting to meet again
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hasta luego
  • Well, I'll see you later.
  • Goodbye, see you later
  • Okay, see you later
  • see you later then

I hope you enjoyed this project and see you later, Alligator.

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Examples

  • I hope we see you later, maybe at lunch.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I'll see you later, Chuck.

    Of Things Past (2023)

  • All right, See you later, man.

  • All right, I see you later, okay?

    Jack Be Nimble (2022)

  • Dad: See you later, baby.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Claire: I'll see you later, Dad.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "I'll see you later, Murphy."

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Boy: See you later, brainiac.

    Bruno (2000)

  • See you later, honey.

    Gable and Lombard (1976)

  • Thanks for your help today! I'll see you later at the party.

Synonyms

see ya
vssee you later
  • Texting
∞ 8.4

A friendly way to say goodbye when you expect to meet again

has identical meaning but is the standard casual farewell
goodbye
vssee you later
∞ 1.0

Words people say when they leave each other

is more casual and often suggests a later meeting rather than final parting
bye
vssee you later
  • Informal
306 1.0

A short word or action people use when they leave each other

is more informal and implies future meeting more directly
bye-bye
vssee you later
  • Informal
279 1.1

A friendly informal way to say goodbye when leaving

is a casual goodbye that normally implies future meeting
ta ta for now
vssee you later
  • UK
9.5

A friendly informal way to say goodbye when you will see or speak to someone soon

is a casual goodbye with general future meeting implication
smell you later
vssee you later
  • Informal
9.9

To say goodbye in a playful, joking way

is casual too but uses neutral phrasing rather than humor
ta ta
vssee you later
  • UK
8.7

A casual way to say goodbye to someone

usually implies meeting again rather than leaving ties open

How Warm

best wishes
34 1.0
farewell
199 1.9
see you later
  • Informal
95 1.0
goodbye
∞ 1.0
bye
  • Informal
306 1.0

Surface Forms

see you later main

Morphology

see + you + later

The meaning 'a casual goodbye implying you will meet again' is directly compositional from 'see' (meet), 'you' (the other person), and 'later' (at a later time), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer the intended sense. This formulaic farewell is widespread cross-linguistically and follows ordinary English verb + object + temporal adverb patterns, making it immediately transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

See you later comes from the simple idea of see, you, and later: you expect to look at the person again at a later time. So, when people say it as a casual 'goodbye', they mean they will meet again or soon see each other.