depart

American  

[dih-pahrt] / dɪˈpɑrt /

verb (used without object)

departs, present (3rd person singular) departed, past participle, past departing present participle

1. to go away; leave.

   She departed from Paris today. The train departs at 10:52.

   Antonyms:

   arrive

2. to diverge or deviate (usually followed byfrom ).

   The new method departs from the old in several respects.

3. to pass away, as from life or existence; die.

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verb (used with object)

departs, present (3rd person singular) departed, past participle, past departing present participle

1. to go away from; leave.

   to depart this life.

   Synonyms:

   quit

noun

1. Archaic. departure; death.

depart British  

/ dɪˈpɑːt /

verb

1. to go away; leave

2. to start out; set forth

3. (usually foll by from) to deviate; differ; vary

   to depart from normal procedure

4. (tr) to quit (archaic, except in the phrase depart this life )

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Synonym Usage

Depart, retire, retreat, withdraw imply leaving a place. Depart is a somewhat literary word for going away from a place: to depart on a journey. Retire emphasizes absenting oneself or drawing back from a place: to retire from a position in battle. Retreat implies a necessary withdrawal, especially as a result of adverse fortune in war: to retreat to secondary lines of defense. Withdraw suggests leaving some specific place or situation, usually for some definite and often unpleasant reason: to withdraw from a hopeless task.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undeparting
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have departed
  perfect
• has departed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are departing
  progressive
• has been departing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been departing
  perfect progressive
• am departing
  progressive 1st person singular
• is departing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• departing
  participle
• departs
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had departed
  perfect
• was departing
  progressive singular
• departed
  simple
• were departing
  progressive plural
• had been departing
  perfect progressive
• departed
  participle

Future

• will depart
  simple
• will have departed
  perfect
• will be departing
  progressive
• will have been departing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of depart

1175–1225; Middle English departen < Old French departir, equivalent to de- de- + partir to go away; see part ( v. )

Explanation

To depart is to go away or to choose a different direction. If you are catching a plane, you are soon to depart. And, if you are wearing a kilt instead of jeans, you depart from your usual look. Airports and train stations have gates for arrivals and departures. Airplanes and people coming in "arrive" while those going out depart. You also can depart without going anywhere, as when you change your mind and depart from an earlier decision. To "depart from the norm" is an expression for doing something different than expected, like giggling during a tear-jerker of a movie.

Example Sentences

Durn’s announcement follows Narayen’s recent decision to depart after serving as Adobe’s CEO for more than 18 years.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

The software giant announced late Thursday that Chief Financial Officer Dan Durn will depart the company on June 15 after nearly five years in the role, for a “new professional opportunity.”

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

The onset of dementia in Árni spurs his grandson to consider what’s lost when the markers of memory depart.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

The next month, one of the show’s most recognizable stars announced plans to depart.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

So Scoob packed up according to Dad’s specifications three days before they were supposed to depart.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• abandon
• blast off
• disappear
• escape
• evacuate
• exit
• go
• pull out
• quit
• remove
• retire
• vacate
• withdraw