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:
A founder with three children, for example, might leave each 25% of the business while putting the remaining 25% in the hands of a trustee to allocate later based on involvement in the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
"We are not criminals. We simply want a better life for our parents and ourselves. We do not want to leave Albania," 18-year-old Ledia told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
“If you are in one of these zones, leave immediately,” the Orange County Fire Authority wrote on X.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
There was no drama at the obligatory face-off, despite the fierce rivalry that has developed between them, and two-time world champion Dubois was quick to leave the stage afterwards.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
I am finally here, she thinks, and she is happy to leave it at that.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Matlow says that leaves a "growing animal welfare crisis on our hands".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Most land plants sprout leaves, which include evergreen needles and blades of grass.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"News like this always leaves you feeling empty. It's very sad for all the families involved."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
It leaves open how the resulting benefits will be shared among customers, suppliers and shareholders.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Instead she leaves the door open as she turns back into the house, clearly expecting Theo and me to follow.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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
Most of the trees were short, heavily leaved.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
Teymouri said the children kept in the Arcadia home were isolated from society, almost never leaving the house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
That provision would curtail a longstanding practice of leaving work early known as an “early shove,” the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"We'd see her leaving in a work apron."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
He said that Friday’s broad-based technology selloff was “not leaving any stock untouched.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
It should’ve been Zara who helped me, but she’s still determined to be mad at me for leaving the party with Rhys.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
And after a 4-8 season, Wulff left Cal Poly and Dieffenbach faced another crossroads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
But speaking to reporters as he left the White House on Friday, the US president said he had a good relationship with his Ukrainian counterpart.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The state’s population has grown by almost 1 million people since I left college in 2012.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Primary dealers were left with just 2.5%, their smallest share since the financial crisis.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
So it was that, late one night, without saying good-bye to wife or children, niece or housekeeper, the two adventurers left unnoticed.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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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.
