departed
Americanadjective
-
deceased; dead.
-
gone; past.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of departed
Explanation
Something that's departed is gone, or happened in the distant past. An archaeologist might unearth artifacts from a departed era. Anything that's past or long gone is departed, including a person who has died. When your friend talks about her dear, departed Uncle Bob, you know that Uncle Bob is no longer living. The word has been a euphemism for "dead" since at least the 16th century — the traditional wedding service once read "till death us depart," rather than today's "till death do us part."
Vocabulary lists containing departed
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
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Shine On, Luz Véliz!
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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.
The New Corolla departed Basra a few days before the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran, passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Feb. 28.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
Health officials believe a couple contracted the Andes virus — a rare type of hantavirus — while traveling in remote areas of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay before the cruise, which departed from Ushuaia, Argentina.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
The United Arab Emirates recently departed OPEC, an organization whose global market share has fallen from 50% in 1973 to 38%.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Karen Hauer, the show's longest-serving female pro, has departed after 14 years.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Our plane departed Houston on Tuesday night, July 26, 2016, at nine p.m.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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.
