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Showing results for departure. Search instead for predeparture.
Synonyms

departure

American  
[dih-pahr-cher] / dɪˈpɑr tʃər /

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 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • nondeparture noun
  • predeparture noun

Etymology

Origin of departure

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Davis was found to have maintained financial ties to the collective impact after her departure to the commission.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

But hours later, Trump confirmed her departure on Truth Social, saying that her new private sector role would be "announced at a date in the near future".

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The one big exception: if changes are made to the ticket after booking, like shifting the date or the time of departure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

His hostility toward Big Tech marks a notable departure from his corporate-friendly jurisprudence in other cases.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

As he had been thinking for months about leaving his wife and had not done it because it would be too cruel to deprive her of himself, her departure was a very healthful shock.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.