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Showing results for departure. Search instead for predeparture.
Synonyms

departure

American  
[dih-pahr-cher] / dɪˈpɑr tʃər /

noun

  1. an act or instance of departing.

    the time of departure; a hasty departure.
    Synonyms:
    leave-taking, exit, going, leaving

  2. divergence or deviation, as from a standard, rule, etc..

    a departure from accepted teaching methods.

  3. Navigation.

    1. the distance due east or west traveled by a vessel or aircraft.

    2. point of departure.

  4. Surveying. the length of the projection, on the east-west reference line, of a survey line.

  5. Archaic. death.

departure British  
/ dɪˈpɑːtʃə /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of departing

  2. a deviation or variation from previous custom; divergence

  3. a project, course of action, venture, etc

    selling is a new departure for him

  4. nautical

    1. the net distance travelled due east or west by a vessel

    2. Also called: point of departure.  the latitude and longitude of the point from which a vessel calculates dead reckoning

  5. a euphemistic word for death

"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 Word Forms

  • nondeparture noun
  • predeparture noun

Etymology

Origin of departure

1375–1425; late Middle English < Old French departëure; compare Anglo-French departir (noun use of infinitive). See depart, -ure

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.

Davis was found to have maintained financial ties to the collective impact after her departure to the commission.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

A pulsing exploration of party culture and collective movement, it's a departure from the tender, introspective ballads on her Mercury Prize-winning debut, Collapsed In Sunbeams and its 2023 follow-up, My Soft Machine.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

The one big exception: if changes are made to the ticket after booking, like shifting the date or the time of departure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

His hostility toward Big Tech marks a notable departure from his corporate-friendly jurisprudence in other cases.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

East Germans snuck out this "back door" by the thousands, before the Stasi had time to prevent their departure.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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.