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:
Dozens of exhibits, which don’t have to compete with a looming space shuttle, will make it hard for you to get your children to leave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The research into the side effects of IUDs typically does not leave women with clear answers; they’re often left to troubleshoot for themselves.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
“But if your $5,000 investment is now $50,000, I heavily recommend you take … $25,000 to as much as $45,000 and leave the initial $5,000 to let it ride.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Co-author Ruben Juarez explained that including these populations could help scientists investigate how social circumstances and environmental conditions leave lasting biological effects over the course of a person's life.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 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
Given our history, I am concerned that the money intended for our daughters may never reach them and that, if he leaves the country, recovering it could become even more difficult.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
That leaves almost no mental space for the reflection a major transition requires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
It leaves the Giants primed to make a postseason push, as they lead the struggling NFC East with a 4-2-1 record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Here’s what “You Can See Everything” reveals about Holmes and Evans’ finances, and what it leaves unanswered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
His gaze settled on the forest’s edge, where the mossy earth was covered in a carpet of brittle leaves.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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
Pa said, “Were it one a our’n? You think someone leaved the barn door ajar?”
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Supply chain disruptions delayed boot shipments last fall, leaving shelves low on stock during peak demand, Toal said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
In one letter from their energy provider, it said: "Sorry you're leaving us. Is there anything we can do to make you stay?"
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The discoveries suggest that researchers may eventually be able to interfere with the processes responsible for chronic inflammation while leaving the senescent cells themselves intact.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026
“I believe in my heart that my brother heard that prayer as he was leaving this earth, and that gives us hope,” Johnson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Despite the hot, angry tears that blur my vision, the truth I’ve been avoiding for so long cuts deep, leaving a scar so I’ll never forget.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
He decided while he was writing the agency’s crypto rules that he would not benefit from them, and he has kept to that position since he left the CFTC.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
If there’s one issue that unites Americans from left to right, it’s that Epstein was a world-class scumbag, and his death unfortunate only insofar as it meant he never truly saw justice.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
However, the deadline has passed without the senator surrendering the passports, prompting speculation he may have left the country.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
When officials don’t explain how they would respond to the economy, investors are left to guess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
That particular playdate had left us with something more like a corn octopus that was far too heavy to be hung.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
