leave

[ leev ]

/ liv /

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See synonyms for: leave / leaves / leaving / left on Thesaurus.com

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

to go out of or away from, as a place: to leave the house.

to depart from permanently; quit: to leave a job.

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. let¹ (defs. 1, 2, 6).

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

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

Verb Phrases

leave off,

to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.
to stop using or wearing: It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.
to omit: to leave a name off a list.

leave out, to omit; exclude: She left out an important detail in her account.

OTHER WORDS FOR leave

1, 2 abandon, forsake, desert; relinquish.

9 forbear, renounce.

10 ignore, forget.

11 bequeath, will; devise, transmit.

See synonyms for leave on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR leave

1, 2 join.

See antonyms for leave on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

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Idioms about leave

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 by himself or herself: Leave him alone—he wants to rest.They left me all alone, and I couldn’t figure out how to get back home.

leave well enough alone. alone (def. 8).

Origin of leave

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 lave²

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

Other definitions for leave (2 of 3)

leave²

[ leev ]

/ liv /

noun

permission to do something: to beg leave to go elsewhere.

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 (def. 23).

Bowling. the pin or pins in upright position after the bowl of the first ball.

OTHER WORDS FOR leave

1-3 liberty.

2, 3 vacation, furlough.

See synonyms for leave on Thesaurus.com

Origin of leave

First recorded before 900; Middle English leve, leave, leife “permission, permission to go, farewell,” Old English lēaf “permission, license”; akin to believe, furlough, lief

Other definitions for leave (3 of 3)

leave³

[ leev ]

/ liv /

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

to put forth leaves; leaf.

Origin of leave

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English leven, lefie, derivative of lef “leaf”; see leaf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use leave in a sentence

Buzzfeed’s editor, Ben Smith, left the publication earlier this year to join the Times as a media columnist.
Ezra Klein leaves Vox, the website he founded, for New York Times, in a digital media A-list exodus|Paul Farhi, Sarah Ellison|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
We know death is never that permanent — and hey, there were still two episodes left.
Supernatural’s bonkers series finale marked the end of an era of fandom|Aja Romano|November 20, 2020|Vox
Ultimately it led him to switch schools, and then take leave of his schooling altogether at 14 years old.
The enduring and ongoing legacy of Bjergsen|Noah Smith|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The weather’s chilly, the leaves have fallen, and the holidays are fast-approaching.
We deserve ‘nouveau’ wine in 2020 — a vintage meant to be fun and drunk right away|Dave McIntyre|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

We also found that companies’ policies around leave were a very important differentiator of returns.
Why investors like socially responsible companies|matthewheimer|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Leaver will be caught by it, just as if he hadn't had it tried on him a thousand times.
Mrs. Red Pepper|Grace S. Richmond
"I've arranged them with special reference to Dr. Leaver," she explained.
Mrs. Red Pepper|Grace S. Richmond
"It depends on whether one happens to possess them, I should say," Leaver returned.
Mrs. Red Pepper|Grace S. Richmond
He got to his feet, ignoring the slow shaking of Leaver's downbent head.
Mrs. Red Pepper|Grace S. Richmond
Swift and sure moved Leaver's hands, obeying the swift, sure working of his brain.
Mrs. Red Pepper|Grace S. Richmond

British Dictionary definitions for leave (1 of 3)

leave¹

/ (liːv) /

verb leaves, leaving or left (mainly tr)

(also intr) to go or depart (from a person or place)

to cause to remain behind, often by mistake, in a placehe often leaves his keys in his coat

to cause to be or remain in a specified statepaying the bill left him penniless

to renounce or abandonto leave a political movement

to refrain from consuming or doing somethingthe things we have left undone

to result in; causechildhood problems often leave emotional scars

to allow to be or remain subject to another person or thingleave the past to look after itself

to entrust or commitleave the shopping to her

to submit in place of one's personal appearancewill you leave your name and address?

to pass in a specified directionflying 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 devisehe left his investments to his children

(tr) to have as a remainder37 – 14 leaves 23

not standard to permit; let

leave be informal to leave undisturbed

leave go or leave hold of not standard to stop holding

leave it at that informal to take a matter no further

leave much to be desired to be very unsatisfactory

leave someone alone

Also: let alone See let 1 (def. 7)
to permit to stay or be alone

leave someone to himself not to control or direct someone

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 (2 of 3)

leave²

/ (liːv) /

noun

permission to do somethinghe was granted leave to speak

by your leave or with your leave with your permission

permission to be absent, as from a place of work or dutyleave of absence

the duration of such absenceten days' leave

a farewell or departure (esp in the phrase take (one's) leave)

on leave officially excused from work or duty

take leave to say farewell (to)

take leave of one's senses to go mad or become irrational

Word Origin for leave

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

British Dictionary definitions for leave (3 of 3)

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with leave

leave

In addition to the idioms beginning with leave

leave a bad taste in one's mouth
leave alone
leave a lot to be desired
leave flat
leave hanging
leave holding the bag
leave in the lurch
leave no stone unturned
leave off
leave one cold
leave open
leave out
leave out in the cold
leave out of account
leave someone alone
leave someone in peace
leave someone in the lurch
leave someone to his or her resources
leave the door open
leave to someone's own devices
leave to someone's tender mercies
leave well enough alone
leave without a leg to stand on
leave word

also see:

absent without leave
(leave) high and dry
(leave) out in the cold
take it or leave it
take leave of
take one's leave

Also see underlet.

leave

OTHER WORDS FOR leave

OPPOSITES FOR leave

Idioms about leave

Origin of leave

usage note for leave

OTHER WORDS FROM leave

Other definitions for leave (2 of 3)

OTHER WORDS FOR leave

Origin of leave

Other definitions for leave (3 of 3)

Origin of leave

Words related to leave

How to use leave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for leave (1 of 3)

Derived forms of leave

Word Origin for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (2 of 3)

Word Origin for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with leave