departure

[dih-pahr-cher]

noun

1. an act or instance of departing.

   the time of departure; a hasty departure.

   Synonyms: leave-taking, exit, going, leaving

2. divergence or deviation, as from a standard, rule, etc..

   a departure from accepted teaching methods.

3. Navigation.

   1. the distance due east or west traveled by a vessel or aircraft.

   2. point of departure.

4. Surveying.,  the length of the projection, on the east-west reference line, of a survey line.

5. Archaic.,  death.

departure

/ dɪˈpɑːtʃə /

noun

1. the act or an instance of departing

2. a deviation or variation from previous custom; divergence

3. a project, course of action, venture, etc

   selling is a new departure for him

4. nautical

   1. the net distance travelled due east or west by a vessel

   2. Also called: point of departure. the latitude and longitude of the point from which a vessel calculates dead reckoning

5. a euphemistic word for death

Other Word Forms

• nondeparture noun
• predeparture noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of departure¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Old French departëure; compare Anglo-French departir (noun use of infinitive). See depart, -ure

Example Sentences

The attempted departure came as the White House moves to intensify scrutiny of left-wing organizations.

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A review of internal data by the airline lobby International Air Transport Association, calculated a total rate of 800 per million departures in the U.S., according to an internal document from a member carrier.

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His employers risk being saddled with stars on the decline and a barren farm system after his departure.

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Despite the Patriots’ struggles in the years after Tom Brady’s departure, Belichick’s genius remains the stuff of legend—and no coach has more Super Bowl rings to prove it.

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Doctors and other healthcare professionals protested the vote outcomes and the new ACIP’s departure from traditional procedures for weighing evidence based on a labor-intensive evaluation of the latest research.

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Related Words

• escape 
• evacuation 
• exit 
• exodus 
• flight 
• passage 
• removal 
• retirement 
• retreat 
• separation 
• takeoff 
• walkout 
• withdrawal