depart

[ dih-pahrt ]

verb (used without object)

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 by from ):

   The new method departs from the old in several respects.

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

verb (used with object)

1. to go away from; leave:

   to depart this life.

   Synonyms: quit

noun

1. Archaic. departure; death.

depart

/ 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 )

Other Words From

• unde·parting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of depart¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of depart¹

C13: from Old French departir, from de- + partir to go away, divide, from Latin partīrī to divide, distribute, from pars a part

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

It may seem strange to find yourself with songs about cataclysmic loss and the end of the world rattling around your head as you depart the theater, but that’s part of Oppenheimer’s point.

From Salon

Wednesday evening, a group of four men departed from the Port of Long Beach to go free diving.

From Los Angeles Times

When it was time for me to finally depart, she dropped me off at Los Angeles International Airport, and as I watched her disappear into the traffic, I felt part of myself disappearing too.

From Los Angeles Times

Four men in their 20s departed from Long Beach on Wednesday evening but only three returned, prompting a large multiagency search for the missing person that continued Thursday morning, authorities confirmed.

From Los Angeles Times

He will depart at the end of this season.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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