1. A deliverance from or removal of something unwanted or undesirable: "Compeyson took it easy as a good riddance for both sides" (Charles Dickens).
2. The act of ridding: riddance of household pests.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.