leave

/liv/

/liv/

Other forms: leaving; leaved

To leave is to go away or exit. You can leave the country, the house, or a job.

This has many meanings, most having to do with departing. Getting permission to take time off from work is taking a leave of absence. To not disturb something is to leave it alone. To abandon or forget something is to leave it behind. Giving someone leave to do something is giving them permission. Leaving can mean transmitting or passing on skills. Also, you can leave things to people in a will: you grandfather might leave you his favorite cufflinks.

Definitions of leave

1. verb

   go away from a place
   “At what time does your train leave?”

   “She didn't leave until midnight”

   “The ship leaves at midnight”

   synonyms: go away, go forth

   exit, get out, go out

   move out of or depart from

   depart, pull up stakes

   remove oneself from an association with or participation in

   antonyms:

   arrive

   reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

   get

   reach and board

   types:

   go out

   leave the house to go somewhere

   desert

   leave behind

   depart, quit, take leave

   go away or leave

   pop off

   leave quickly

   walk away, walk off

   go away from

   hightail

   leave as fast as possible

   walk out

   leave abruptly, often in protest or anger

   come away

   leave in a certain condition

   decamp, skip, vamoose

   leave suddenly

   buzz off, get, scram

   leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form

   beetle off, bolt, bolt out, run off, run out

   leave suddenly and as if in a hurry

   ride away, ride off

   ride away on a horse, for example

   go out

   take the field

   linger, tarry

   leave slowly and hesitantly

   depart, part, set forth, set off, set out, start, start out, take off

   leave

   get out, pull out

   move out or away

   rush away, rush off

   depart in a hurry

   break away, bunk, escape, fly the coop, head for the hills, hightail it, lam, run, run away, scarper, scat, take to the woods, turn tail

   flee; take to one's heels; cut and run

   slip away, sneak away, sneak off, sneak out, steal away

   leave furtively and stealthily

   abandon, empty, vacate

   leave behind empty; move out of

   walk out of

   leave, usually as an expression of disapproval

   congee

   depart after obtaining formal permission

   beat a retreat

   depart hastily

   lift off, take off

   depart from the ground

   roar off

   leave

   blaze, blaze out

   move rapidly and as if blazing

   sally forth, sally out

   set out in a sudden, energetic or violent manner

   plump out

   depart suddenly

   flee, fly, take flight

   run away quickly

   skedaddle

   run away, as if in a panic

   break camp, decamp

   leave a camp

   date

   go on a date with
2. verb

   move out of or depart from
   “leave the room”

   “the fugitive has left the country”

   synonyms: exit, get out, go out

   go away, go forth

   go away from a place

   types:

   depart, go, go away

   move away from a place into another direction

   pop out

   exit briefly

   file out

   march out, in a file

   get off, hop out

   get out of quickly

   fall out

   leave (a barracks) in order to take a place in a military formation, or leave a military formation

   get off

   leave a vehicle, aircraft, etc.

   step out

   go outside a room or building for a short period of time

   eject

   leave an aircraft rapidly, using an ejection seat or capsule

   undock

   move out of a dock

   log off, log out

   exit a computer

   blow, shove along, shove off

   leave; informal or rude

   detrain

   leave a train

   deplane

   get off an airplane

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
3. verb

   remove oneself from an association with or participation in
   “She wants to leave”

   “The teenager left home”

   “She left her position with the Red Cross”

   “He left the Senate after two terms”

   synonyms: depart, pull up stakes

   go away, go forth

   go away from a place

   types:

   leave office, quit, resign, step down

   give up or retire from a position

   drop out

   leave school or an educational program prematurely

   give up, renounce, resign, vacate

   leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily

   retire

   go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position

   top out

   give up one's career just as one becomes very successful

   fall

   lose office or power

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
4. noun

   the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty
   “a ten day's leave to visit his mother”

   synonyms: leave of absence

   types:

   furlough

   a temporary leave of absence, especially from military duty

   pass

   (military) a written leave of absence

   compassionate leave

   (military) leave granted in an emergency such as family sickness or death

   sabbatical, sabbatical leave

   a leave usually taken every seventh year

   liberty, shore leave

   leave granted to a sailor or naval officer

   sick leave

   a leave of absence from work because of illness

   terminal leave

   final leave before discharge from military service

   sabbatical year

   a sabbatical leave lasting one year

   type of:

   time off

   a time period when you are not required to work
5. noun

   the act of departing politely
   “he took his leave”

   synonyms: farewell, leave-taking, parting

   types:

   valediction

   the act of saying farewell

   type of:

   departure, going, going away, leaving

   the act of departing
6. verb

   go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or forgetfulness
   “She left a mess when she moved out”

   “His good luck finally left him”

   “her husband left her after 20 years of marriage”

   “she wept thinking she had been left behind”

   synonyms:

   forget

   leave behind unintentionally

   types:

   jilt

   cast aside capriciously or unfeelingly

   abandon, desert, desolate, forsake

   leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

   expose

   abandon by leaving out in the open air

   walk out

   leave suddenly, often as an expression of disapproval

   ditch

   forsake

   maroon, strand

   leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue
7. verb

   leave behind unintentionally
   “I left my keys inside the car and locked the doors”

   synonyms: forget

   type of:

   lose

   miss from one's possessions; lose sight of
8. verb

   have as a result or residue
   “The water left a mark on the silk dress”

   “Her blood left a stain on the napkin”

   synonyms: lead, result

   types:

   lead

   tend to or result in

   entail, implicate

   impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result

   necessitate

   cause to be a concomitant

   type of:

   achieve, beget, bring about, give rise, produce

   cause to happen, occur, or exist
9. verb

   have left or have as a remainder
   “That left the four of us”

   “19 minus 8 leaves 11”

   synonyms:

   leave alone, leave behind

   leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking

   lead, result

   have as a result or residue

   type of:

   have

   have left
10. verb

    put into the care or protection of someone
    “He left the decision to his deputy”

    “leave your child to the nurse's care”

    synonyms: entrust

    type of:

    give, hand, hand in, pass, pass on, reach, turn over

    place into the hands or custody of
11. verb

    leave or give by will after one's death
    “My grandfather left me his entire estate”

    synonyms: bequeath, will

    leave behind

    be survived by after one's death

    give, impart, pass on

    transmit (knowledge or skills)

    types:

    devise

    give by will, especially real property

    pass on

    give to or transfer possession of

    remember

    show appreciation to

    entail, fee-tail

    limit the inheritance of property to a specific class of heirs

    propagate

    transmit from one generation to the next

    hand down

    passed on, as by inheritance

    type of:

    gift, give, present

    give as a present; make a gift of
12. verb

    be survived by after one's death
    “He left six children”

    “At her death, she left behind her husband and 11 cats”

    synonyms: leave behind

    leave behind

    depart and not take along

    bequeath, will

    leave or give by will after one's death

    types:

    widow

    cause to be without a spouse
13. verb

    transmit (knowledge or skills)
    “leave your name and address here”

    synonyms: give, impart, pass on

    bequeath, will

    leave or give by will after one's death

    give

    convey or reveal information

    types:

    convey

    make known; pass on, of information

    give thanks, thank

    express gratitude or show appreciation to

    hint, suggest

    drop a hint; intimate by a hint

    say

    communicate or express nonverbally

    look

    convey by one's expression

    flash

    make known or cause to appear with great speed

    breathe

    manifest or evince

    evince, express, show

    give expression to

    intend, mean

    mean or intend to express or convey

    type of:

    tell

    let something be known
14. verb

    leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking
    “leave it as is”

    “leave the young fawn alone”

    “leave the flowers that you see in the park behind”

    synonyms: leave alone, leave behind

    types:

    let

    leave unchanged

    type of:

    forbear, refrain

    resist doing something
15. verb

    act or be so as to become in a specified state
    “The inflation left them penniless”

    “The president's remarks left us speechless”

    synonyms:

    lead, result

    have as a result or residue

    type of:

    get, make

    give certain properties to something
16. verb

    make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain
    “This leaves no room for improvement”

    “leave lots of time for the trip”

    synonyms: allow, allow for, provide

    admit, allow

    afford possibility

    type of:

    afford, give, yield

    be the cause or source of
17. noun

    permission to do something
    “she was granted leave to speak”

    type of:

    permission

    approval to do something