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:
Nomura analysts expect that the SNB will leave interest rates at zero percent until at least the end of 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Quixote’s retreat comes amid a major slowdown in Hollywood production, as many productions leave California in pursuit of tax incentives around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Earlier this week, he said his debut leader's speech would leave nobody in any doubt about "what I'm trying to do in this role".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Savor a celebrity rumor that was too good to be true: For a moment this week, it seemed like Channing Tatum was using a burner Instagram account to leave snarky comments on his ex’s posts.
From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026
A nagging thought: What time does the bus leave here?
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
He said these statistical traces are akin to "fingerprints that a criminal leaves at a crime scene."
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
David Raslevich, a 41-year-old cyclist who frequently rides on the new lanes on Clark, said he has noticed branches, leaves and other debris.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Mr. Shem Tov’s testimony shows what that “but” leaves out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
If she leaves the property to her children, they could potentially receive a stepped-up basis when she dies.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Aunt J leaves to make up the bed for Grandma to sleep in.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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
Weinstein has already served more than six years in New York, leaving him with about nine years left on that sentence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The shifting market is leaving the door open for card issuers to stake a claim where they see potential for growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Monthly essentials like utilities, food and transportation can easily eat up $500–$1,000, leaving little cushion for emergencies or home repairs.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
She was told two weeks ago she would be one of the workers facing a pay cut under the new system, leaving her "distraught".
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
I softly close the door, knowing I’m leaving a piece of my heart behind and wondering if I’ll ever forgive myself.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Then, there are some women who've long left their nails alone, amused to find their routine – or lack thereof – suddenly in vogue.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“It’s the most confident Jayden I’ve seen in the three years I’ve been around him,” left tackle Elijah Paige said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
Earlier this year, a Nor'easter that pummeled the northeast disrupted hundreds of flights and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
After her husband divorced her a few years later, she left his child-support payments as a pile of cash on the table and stopped cooking the children’s meals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
“This is why we left Louisiana? Traveled west?”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
