Showing results for "departed"

• past tense form of depart.
• past participle of depart.

departed

American  

[dih-pahr-tid] / dɪˈpɑr tɪd /

adjective

1. deceased; dead.

2. gone; past.

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noun

departeds plural

1. the departed,

   1. the dead person referred to.

   2. dead persons collectively.

departed British  

/ dɪˈpɑːtɪd /

adjective

1. euphemistic

   1. dead; deceased

   2. ( as sing or collective noun; preceded by the )

      the departed

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undeparted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• departeds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of departed

First recorded in 1550–60; depart + -ed ²

Explanation

Something that's departed is gone, or happened in the distant past. An archaeologist might unearth artifacts from a departed era. Anything that's past or long gone is departed, including a person who has died. When your friend talks about her dear, departed Uncle Bob, you know that Uncle Bob is no longer living. The word has been a euphemism for "dead" since at least the 16th century — the traditional wedding service once read "till death us depart," rather than today's "till death do us part."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

departed

The crew had departed the space station at 2:03 a.m.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

Starmer departed Downing Street earlier, insisting his short time in office had made Britain a better place.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

In the filmmaker’s imagination, the trick of hiding Greek warriors inside a wood contraption was more believable if it looked like a waterlogged offering to a god left by a departed army.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

She no longer has contacts she can reach in Sittwe, or in Sin Tet Maw, the Arakan Army-controlled village from where the boats departed.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

She lorded it over us plenty before she finally departed.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Related Words

• deceased