leave
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to go out of or away from, as a place.
to leave the house.
- Synonyms:
- relinquish, desert, forsake, abandon
- Antonyms:
- join
-
to depart from permanently; quit.
to leave a job.
- Synonyms:
- relinquish, desert, forsake, abandon
- Antonyms:
- join
-
to let remain or have remaining behind after going, disappearing, ceasing, etc..
I left my wallet home.
The wound left a scar.
-
to allow to remain in the same place, condition, etc..
Is there any coffee left?
-
to let stay or be as specified.
to leave a door unlocked.
-
to let (a person or animal) remain in a position to do something without interference.
We left him to his work.
-
to let (a thing) remain for action or decision.
We left the details to the lawyer.
-
to give in charge; deposit; entrust.
Leave the package with the receptionist.
I left my name and phone number.
-
to stop; cease; give up.
He left music to study law.
-
to disregard; neglect.
We will leave this for the moment and concentrate on the major problem.
-
to give for use after one's death or departure.
to leave all one's money to charity.
-
to have remaining after death.
He leaves a wife and three children.
-
to have as a remainder after subtraction.
2 from 4 leaves 2.
-
Nonstandard. let.
verb (used without object)
verb phrase
idioms
-
leave well enough alone. alone.
-
leave alone,
-
Also let alone to refrain from annoying or interfering with.
Those kids wouldn't leave the dog alone, and he eventually turned on them.
She finally shouted, “Leave me alone!” at the man who had been following her for several blocks.
-
to allow or cause (someone) to be left on their own: They left me all alone, and I couldn’t figure out how to get back home.
Leave him alone—he wants to rest.
They left me all alone, and I couldn’t figure out how to get back home.
-
noun
-
leaves
plural
-
permission to do something.
to beg leave to go elsewhere.
- Synonyms:
- liberty
-
permission to be absent, as from work or military duty.
The firm offers a maternity leave as part of its benefit program.
-
the time this permission lasts.
30 days' leave.
-
a parting; departure; farewell.
He took his leave before the formal ceremonies began.
We took leave of them after dinner.
-
Metallurgy. draft.
-
Bowling. the pin or pins in upright position after the bowl of the first ball.
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(also intr) to go or depart (from a person or place)
-
to cause to remain behind, often by mistake, in a place
he often leaves his keys in his coat
-
to cause to be or remain in a specified state
paying the bill left him penniless
-
to renounce or abandon
to leave a political movement
-
to refrain from consuming or doing something
the things we have left undone
-
to result in; cause
childhood problems often leave emotional scars
-
to allow to be or remain subject to another person or thing
leave the past to look after itself
-
to entrust or commit
leave the shopping to her
-
to submit in place of one's personal appearance
will you leave your name and address?
-
to pass in a specified direction
flying out of the country, we left the cliffs on our left
-
to be survived by (members of one's family)
he leaves a wife and two children
-
to bequeath or devise
he left his investments to his children
-
(tr) to have as a remainder
37 – 14 leaves 23
-
not_standard to permit; let
-
informal to leave undisturbed
-
not_standard to stop holding
-
informal to take a matter no further
-
to be very unsatisfactory
-
-
Also: let alone. See let 1
-
to permit to stay or be alone
-
-
not to control or direct someone
noun
-
permission to do something
he was granted leave to speak
-
with your permission
-
permission to be absent, as from a place of work or duty
leave of absence
-
the duration of such absence
ten days' leave
-
a farewell or departure (esp in the phrase take ( one's ) leave )
-
officially excused from work or duty
-
to say farewell (to)
-
to go mad or become irrational
verb
Usage
Leave is interchangeable with let when followed by alone with the sense “to refrain from annoying or interfering with”: Leave (or Let ) her alone and she will solve the problem easily. When he was left (or let ) alone without interruptions, the boy quickly assembled the apparatus. The use of leave alone for let alone in the sense “not to mention” is nonstandard: There wasn't any standing room, let (not leave ) alone a seat, so I missed the performance. Other substitutions of leave for let are generally regarded as nonstandard: Let (not Leave ) us sit down and talk this over. Let (not Leave ) her do it her own way. The police wouldn't let (not leave ) us cross the barriers. See also let 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of leave1
First recorded before 900; Middle English leven “to stop, cease, discontinue; abandon; allow; depart, leave,” Old English lǣfan “to leave; remain; have or be left remaining”; cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben “to remain”), Old Norse leifa “to leave, leave behind, leave (food) as a leftover, bequeath, abandon,” Gothic bilaibjan “to leave, leave behind, forsake”; see also lave 2
Origin of leave2
First recorded before 900; Middle English leve, leave, leife “permission, permission to go, farewell,” Old English lēaf “permission, license”; akin to believe, furlough, lief
Origin of leave3
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English leven, lefie, derivative of lef “leaf”; see leaf
Explanation
To leave is to go away or exit. You can leave the country, the house, or a job. This has many meanings, most having to do with departing. Getting permission to take time off from work is taking a leave of absence. To not disturb something is to leave it alone. To abandon or forget something is to leave it behind. Giving someone leave to do something is giving them permission. Leaving can mean transmitting or passing on skills. Also, you can leave things to people in a will: you grandfather might leave you his favorite cufflinks.
Vocabulary lists containing leave
"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 5
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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.
See Examples For:
She even welcomed a new approach, saying his interviews felt more like a conversation, while Apted would often leave long, awkward pauses once she had finished her answer.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Any draining effects of the cut could therefore leave Benn more vulnerable to Garcia's speed and powerful left hook, while also raising questions over whether the Briton can maintain his usual intensity over 12 rounds.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
She told me she’d rather everyone just bring what they want to drink and leave the food menu to her.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Some 9,000 Marines are set to leave Japan, with 4,000 slated to move to Guam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Any second, in rhythm with the other shutting doors, Pain would leave Deadwood too.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
A lower premium isn’t the bargain it appears to be if the policy’s cancellation leaves you with this kind of uncertainty and, worse, a gap in your coverage.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026
Gerace, who offers advice for drivers on the Rideshare Guy site, spritzes “Fresh Scent” Febreze after a passenger leaves and then drives around with the windows down.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
And while “The Paper” has not yet been renewed for a third season, the season finale leaves the door open for more work hours at the Cincinnati Chronicle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
They engineered carefully controlled porous materials that imitate the way natural foams scatter light while also drawing inspiration from water-repellent surfaces found on leaves and flower petals.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
Joey doesn’t have much with her when she leaves the orphanage.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Curly Leafed Collards: Those curly leaved varieties Smith mentions can make them look more like kale than the large, smooth leaves we typically think of with collards.
From Salon ● Jan. 27, 2023
“As soon as all the trees leaved out, I was like, ‘I’m staying forever,’” she said of spring’s recent start, singing those last few words in a soprano vibrato.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2022
Want to try out this delicately leaved vine?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2020
The etchings’ chief subject is nature’s bounty and mysteriousness, manifest in big, densely leaved trees and densely treed hillsides.
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2013
He wiped a tear that was falling down his cheek, said: “You the first person who never leaved me.”
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
In Nairobi's low-income neighbourhood of Majengo, Kenyan Grace Wamaitha said her Burundian husband had already gone - leaving the day after the president's 3 September directive.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Sara’s next step might be to ask Scott to step down from his presentation, leaving Scott in the dark as to why.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Nice showcase for Rolie’s organ work, though, on one of the last Journey singles he played on before leaving the band.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The men had arrived under cover of darkness the night before, leaving their cars everywhere: in the village hall car park and on the recreation ground.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“She’s leaving as soon as possible and has absolutely no interest in mushrooms.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Playing primarily from the left, he has given Flick another way of hurting opponents.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
“I think he’s hit his peak right here,” left tackle Elijah Paige said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
What’s left is in deep water: expensive, technically perilous and less likely to strike oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Peat would be cut into blocks and left to dry; peat made a good, slow-burning fuel, and for generations it was what Manx households cooked on and heated their homes with.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
In 1998, the society had enough of Dr. Harlow's money left to help pay for the bronze monument to Phineas Gage on the town green in Cavendish, Vermont.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
