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tooraloo

Tooraloo is an Irish and Australian informal farewell expression meaning goodbye or cheerio — a warm, informal parting word.

tʊˈɹɑloʊ44 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇦🇺 Australian & NZ slang
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Australia
#1·Apr 28, 2026AUS

Tooraloo is an Irish and Australian informal farewell expression meaning goodbye or cheerio — a warm, informal parting word. As a verb it can also mean to express something in song, trilling in a light manner. The Irish and Australian usage as a goodbye follows the tradition of musical or nonsense syllables being repurposed as social phrases. It carries a light, cheerful register — not a solemn farewell but the kind of thing you say to someone you'll see again soon.

He waved from the door and called tooraloo before disappearing down the road.
Origin: Possibly from Irish song tradition using 'tooral' or 'tooraloo' as vocal filler/chorus syllables; extended to use as a farewell expression in Irish and Australian English. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora (model-assisted, hedged).
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Australia
#2·Apr 27, 2026AUS

(Ireland, Australia) Goodbye.

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Australia
#3·Apr 27, 2026AUS

To express as in song.

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🇦🇺About Australian & NZ slang slang

Aussie and Kiwi vocabulary — bogan, daggy, brekkie, sheila, bach, jandals — the whole Antipodean lexicon, including outback dialect, surf and beach culture, and Sydney/Melbourne street slang.

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