leave
1[ leev ]
/ liv /
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
SYNONYMS FOR leave
QUIZZES
LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!
Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
Idioms for leave
- 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 alone,
leave well enough alone. alone (def. 8).
Origin of leave
1First 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 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, nounDefinition 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.
Definition for leave (3 of 3)
Origin of leave
3Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for leave
British Dictionary definitions for leave (1 of 3)
leave1
/ (liːv) /
verb leaves, leaving or left (mainly tr)
Derived forms of leave
leaver, nounWord 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
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
Idioms and Phrases with leave
leave
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.