leave

1
[ leev ]
/ liv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR leave ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), left, leav·ing.

verb (used without object), left, leav·ing.

to go away, depart, or set out: We leave for Europe tomorrow.

Verb Phrases

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Origin of leave

1
before 900; Middle English leven, Old English lǣfan (causative formation from base of lāf remainder; see lave2); cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben to remain), Old Norse leifa, Gothic -laibjan

usage note for leave

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 let1.

OTHER WORDS FROM leave

leav·er, noun

Words nearby leave

leatheroid, leatherwear, leatherwood, leatherwork, leathery, leave, leave a bad taste in one's mouth, leave a lot to be desired, leave alone, leave behind, leave flat
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to leave off

abstain, cease, desist, discontinue, end, halt, quit, refrain, surcease

British Dictionary definitions for leave off (1 of 4)

leave off

verb

(intr) to stop; cease
(tr, adverb) to stop wearing or using

British Dictionary definitions for leave off (2 of 4)

leave1
/ (liːv) /

verb leaves, leaving or left (mainly tr)

See also leave behind, leave off, leave out

Derived forms of leave

leaver, noun

Word Origin for leave

Old English lǣfan; related to belīfan to be left as a remainder

British Dictionary definitions for leave off (3 of 4)

leave2
/ (liːv) /

noun

Word Origin for leave

Old English lēaf; related to alӯfan to permit, Middle High German loube permission

British Dictionary definitions for leave off (4 of 4)

leave3
/ (liːv) /

verb leaves, leaving or leaved

(intr) to produce or grow leaves
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

Idioms and Phrases with leave off (1 of 2)

leave off
1

Stop, cease; also, stop doing or using. For example, Mother told the children to leave off running around the house, or Please use a bookmark to show where you left off reading. [c. 1400]

2

leave something off. Omit, as in We found she had left off our names.

Idioms and Phrases with leave off (2 of 2)

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