diff --git a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_optimizer.hpp b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_optimizer.hpp
index e8710596..125782b7 100644
--- a/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_optimizer.hpp
+++ b/include/chaiscript/language/chaiscript_optimizer.hpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ namespace chaiscript {
       template<typename T>
       auto optimize(const eval::AST_Node_Impl_Ptr<T> &p)
       {
-        if (p->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Def
+        if ( (p->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Def || p->identifier == AST_Node_Type::Lambda)
             && !p->children.empty())
         {
           auto &last_child = p->children.back();
diff --git a/releasenotes.md b/releasenotes.md
index e02bea66..36220309 100644
--- a/releasenotes.md
+++ b/releasenotes.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ Notes:
 =======
 Current Version: 6.0.0
 
-### Changes since 5.8.5
+### Changes since 5.8.6
 
 *6.0.0 is a massive rework compared to 5.x. It now requires a C++14 enabled compiler*
 
@@ -39,6 +39,9 @@ Current Version: 6.0.0
 * File location tracking has been rewritten; this currently means error location reporting is not as good as it was
 * Tracing capability needs to be tested and vetted
 
+### Changes since 5.8.5
+* Optimize away `return` statements in lambdas also
+
 ### Changes since 5.8.4
 * Fix order of operations for prefix operators
 * Make sure atomics are initialized properly