leave-taking
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of leave-taking
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75
Explanation
When you've come to the end of a weekend with your best friends, it's time for a leave-taking, or time to say goodbye. All good things come to an end, and when that happens, you can describe it as a leave-taking. Hugging your visitors goodbye, waving as their car departs — these are all parts of leave-taking. It can be simple and polite, like when you say goodbye to co-workers at the end of the day, or a more poignant leave-taking, like when you leave your entire family to travel in Africa for a year.
Vocabulary lists containing leave-taking
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.
“This is because parental leave policies are associated with an increase in leave-taking and childbearing, which leads to lost labor or increased health care costs for companies.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Mother and son enact a similar situation where, after a more permanent leave-taking, she can catch a glimpse of her son recovering himself sufficiently to survive her loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
The clip did not directly address his leave-taking from Fox or the reasons for it.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Escher territory, where hands draw themselves — a reference that will seem more apt when you read the novel’s last few pages, in which Salvo Montalbano’s own hands contribute to his leave-taking.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2021
Possible real reason for Lance's leave-taking: The check Mom wrote him bounced—again.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
