depart
Americanverb (used without object)
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departs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
departed,
past participle, past
-
departing
present participle
-
to go away; leave.
She departed from Paris today. The train departs at 10:52.
- Antonyms:
- arrive
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to diverge or deviate (usually followed byfrom ).
The new method departs from the old in several respects.
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to pass away, as from life or existence; die.
verb (used with object)
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departs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
departed,
past participle, past
-
departing
present participle
noun
verb
-
to go away; leave
-
to start out; set forth
-
(usually foll by from) to deviate; differ; vary
to depart from normal procedure
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(tr) to quit (archaic, except in the phrase depart this life )
Synonym Usage
Depart, retire, retreat, withdraw imply leaving a place. Depart is a somewhat literary word for going away from a place: to depart on a journey. Retire emphasizes absenting oneself or drawing back from a place: to retire from a position in battle. Retreat implies a necessary withdrawal, especially as a result of adverse fortune in war: to retreat to secondary lines of defense. Withdraw suggests leaving some specific place or situation, usually for some definite and often unpleasant reason: to withdraw from a hopeless task.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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departsimple
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departssimple
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have departedperfect
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has departedperfect
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am departingprogressive
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are departingprogressive
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is departingprogressive
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have been departingperfect progressive
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has been departingperfect progressive
Past
-
departedsimple
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had departedperfect
-
was departingprogressive
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were departingprogressive
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had been departingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of depart
1175–1225; Middle English departen < Old French departir, equivalent to de- de- + partir to go away; see part ( v. )
Explanation
To depart is to go away or to choose a different direction. If you are catching a plane, you are soon to depart. And, if you are wearing a kilt instead of jeans, you depart from your usual look. Airports and train stations have gates for arrivals and departures. Airplanes and people coming in "arrive" while those going out depart. You also can depart without going anywhere, as when you change your mind and depart from an earlier decision. To "depart from the norm" is an expression for doing something different than expected, like giggling during a tear-jerker of a movie.
Vocabulary lists containing depart
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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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:
Cracker Barrel announced on July 27 that Masino would depart this month, succeeded by David Deno, a restaurant industry veteran and former CEO of Outback Steakhouse parent Bloomin’ Brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Earlier in the day, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of trucks loaded with furniture and other belongings waiting to set off from near the city of Hasakeh, with men, women and children eager to depart.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Disasi and Badiashile are available for sale, while Mamadou Sarr is expected to depart on loan.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Joe Erlinger, who previously held the role, will depart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Alice and I always cover our campsite with leaves when we depart so that no one will know we have been there.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
Obviously with massive spoilers ahoy, here are eight of the biggest ways Nolan’s “Odyssey” departs from Homer’s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Either way, it is unclear whether the bill will make it to the president’s desk before the House departs on July 24 for its August recess.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
The flight number for an American Airlines flight that departs Philadelphia just before 7 p.m. on July 4th and lands in Boston in time for fireworks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
One morning, Margaret notices a red cardinal in her kitchen, meeting its eyes before it departs back out her window.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
A very unpleasant way to spend an afternoon Gemini 10 departs.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
The train departed Rayleigh at 14:06 but failed to reach Wickford at 14:11 as planned, due to two of its rear carriages coming off the tracks.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The 1979 movie version, a landmark of the Aussie New Wave, established the careers of director Gillian Armstrong, actress Judy Davis and the recently departed New Zealander Sam Neill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Chicago Cubs fans’ boos were by far the most enthusiastic for the right fielder who’d departed their team in free agency this past winter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
If, God forbid, Maddie should disappear — if Grande departed public life, as she’s now planning on — there would be a hole in Deena’s life.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
The man touched his hat, took his bag, put on his coat and departed; not a soul took the slightest notice of the whole transaction.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Trump said on Truth Social that Leavitt is departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her children and family: “A decision I totally understand and respect!”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
His team trailed 2-1, their only run a solo homer from Tucker, who’d been booed throughout his first series back at Wrigley since departing the Cubs in free agency.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Noam Shazeer, who was the co-lead of Gemini, said he was departing for OpenAI, and John Jumper, a Nobel Prize winner, said he was moving to Anthropic.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation. Americans outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
I felt the stiffness that had collected in me departing, felt a new upsurge of hope.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
