departure

American  

[dih-pahr-cher] / dɪˈpɑr tʃər /

noun

departures plural

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.

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departure British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeparture
  noun
• predeparture
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• departures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of departure

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

Explanation

A departure is the act of leaving somewhere. Think about an airport that has departure gates for outgoing passengers and an arrival area for people flying in. Since departing means to leave, a departure is an act of leaving. There are many type of departures, such as when you go to the store or take a flight. A departure can be a metaphor too, as in a departure from the norm, like if a TV cop show suddenly turns into a vampire show. If a comedian starts being serious, that's a departure too. This word is also a euphemism for death, as in "a departure from life."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

departure departures

The format marked a departure from his tightly scripted recordings.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

On Monday, Cracker Barrel did not offer a reason for Masino’s departure.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

The full monthlong sequence was assembled into a time-lapse video showing the spacecraft's approach and departure.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Masino will be paid an estimated $4.6m as part of a departure package, according to the company's 8-K filing, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“I believe his departure was unplanned,” Poppet says.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Google DeepMind has also seen some high-profile departures among AI researchers in recent weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

More “SNL” departures are expected ahead of the show’s 52nd season this fall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

There were a number of delays to arrivals and departures from Gatwick Airport on Wednesday, although it was not clear if these were connected to the earlier runway closure.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

The analyst also drew attention to an ongoing “talent war” at SaaS companies, noting that Salesforce “has recently seen a steady cadence of senior departures to AI-native companies.”

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

All of our departures from the country were dangerous, abrupt, and mostly illegal.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

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