Leave - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT leave /liv/ /liv/ IPA guide

Other forms: leaving; leaved

To leave is to go away or exit. You can leave the country, the house, or a job.

This has many meanings, most having to do with departing. Getting permission to take time off from work is taking a leave of absence. To not disturb something is to leave it alone. To abandon or forget something is to leave it behind. Giving someone leave to do something is giving them permission. Leaving can mean transmitting or passing on skills. Also, you can leave things to people in a will: you grandfather might leave you his favorite cufflinks.

Definitions of leave

verb go away from a place “At what time does your train leave?” “She didn't leave until midnight” “The ship leaves at midnight” synonyms: go away, go forth exit, get out, go out move out of or depart from depart, pull up stakes remove oneself from an association with or participation in see moresee less antonyms: arrive reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress get reach and board show more antonyms... types: show 32 types... hide 32 types... go out leave the house to go somewhere desert leave behind depart, quit, take leave go away or leave pop off leave quickly walk away, walk off go away from hightail leave as fast as possible walk out leave abruptly, often in protest or anger come away leave in a certain condition decamp, skip, vamoose leave suddenly buzz off, get, scram leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form beetle off, bolt, bolt out, run off, run out leave suddenly and as if in a hurry ride away, ride off ride away on a horse, for example go out take the field linger, tarry leave slowly and hesitantly depart, part, set forth, set off, set out, start, start out, take off leave get out, pull out move out or away rush away, rush off depart in a hurry break away, bunk, escape, fly the coop, head for the hills, hightail it, lam, run, run away, scarper, scat, take to the woods, turn tail flee; take to one's heels; cut and run slip away, sneak away, sneak off, sneak out, steal away leave furtively and stealthily abandon, empty, vacate leave behind empty; move out of walk out of leave, usually as an expression of disapproval congee depart after obtaining formal permission beat a retreat depart hastily lift off, take off depart from the ground roar off leave blaze, blaze out move rapidly and as if blazing sally forth, sally out set out in a sudden, energetic or violent manner plump out depart suddenly flee, fly, take flight run away quickly skedaddle run away, as if in a panic break camp, decamp leave a camp date go on a date with
verb move out of or depart from “leave the room” “the fugitive has left the country” synonyms: exit, get out, go out go away, go forth go away from a place see moresee less types: show 13 types... hide 13 types... depart, go, go away move away from a place into another direction pop out exit briefly file out march out, in a file get off, hop out get out of quickly fall out leave (a barracks) in order to take a place in a military formation, or leave a military formation get off leave a vehicle, aircraft, etc. step out go outside a room or building for a short period of time eject leave an aircraft rapidly, using an ejection seat or capsule undock move out of a dock log off, log out exit a computer blow, shove along, shove off leave; informal or rude detrain leave a train deplane get off an airplane type of: move move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
verb remove oneself from an association with or participation in “She wants to leave” “The teenager left home” “She left her position with the Red Cross” “He left the Senate after two terms” synonyms: depart, pull up stakes go away, go forth go away from a place see moresee less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... leave office, quit, resign, step down give up or retire from a position drop out leave school or an educational program prematurely give up, renounce, resign, vacate leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily retire go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position top out give up one's career just as one becomes very successful fall lose office or power type of: change undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
noun the period of time during which you are absent from work or duty “a ten day's leave to visit his mother” synonyms: leave of absence see moresee less types: show 8 types... hide 8 types... furlough a temporary leave of absence, especially from military duty pass (military) a written leave of absence compassionate leave (military) leave granted in an emergency such as family sickness or death sabbatical, sabbatical leave a leave usually taken every seventh year liberty, shore leave leave granted to a sailor or naval officer sick leave a leave of absence from work because of illness terminal leave final leave before discharge from military service sabbatical year a sabbatical leave lasting one year type of: time off a time period when you are not required to work
noun the act of departing politely “he took his leave” synonyms: farewell, leave-taking, parting see moresee less types: valediction the act of saying farewell type of: departure, going, going away, leaving the act of departing
verb go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or forgetfulness “She left a mess when she moved out” “His good luck finally left him” “her husband left her after 20 years of marriage” “she wept thinking she had been left behind” synonyms: forget leave behind unintentionally see moresee less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... jilt cast aside capriciously or unfeelingly abandon, desert, desolate, forsake leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch expose abandon by leaving out in the open air walk out leave suddenly, often as an expression of disapproval ditch forsake maroon, strand leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue
verb leave behind unintentionally “I left my keys inside the car and locked the doors” synonyms: forget see moresee less type of: lose miss from one's possessions; lose sight of
verb have as a result or residue “The water left a mark on the silk dress” “Her blood left a stain on the napkin” synonyms: lead, result see moresee less types: lead tend to or result in entail, implicate impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result necessitate cause to be a concomitant type of: achieve, beget, bring about, give rise, produce cause to happen, occur, or exist
verb have left or have as a remainder “That left the four of us” “19 minus 8 leaves 11” synonyms: leave alone, leave behind leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking lead, result have as a result or residue see moresee less type of: have have left
verb put into the care or protection of someone “He left the decision to his deputy” “leave your child to the nurse's care” synonyms: entrust see moresee less type of: give, hand, hand in, pass, pass on, reach, turn over place into the hands or custody of
verb leave or give by will after one's death “My grandfather left me his entire estate” synonyms: bequeath, will leave behind be survived by after one's death give, impart, pass on transmit (knowledge or skills) see moresee less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... devise give by will, especially real property pass on give to or transfer possession of remember show appreciation to entail, fee-tail limit the inheritance of property to a specific class of heirs propagate transmit from one generation to the next hand down passed on, as by inheritance type of: gift, give, present give as a present; make a gift of
verb be survived by after one's death “He left six children” “At her death, she left behind her husband and 11 cats” synonyms: leave behind leave behind depart and not take along bequeath, will leave or give by will after one's death see moresee less types: widow cause to be without a spouse
verb transmit (knowledge or skills) “leave your name and address here” synonyms: give, impart, pass on bequeath, will leave or give by will after one's death give convey or reveal information see moresee less types: show 9 types... hide 9 types... convey make known; pass on, of information give thanks, thank express gratitude or show appreciation to hint, suggest drop a hint; intimate by a hint say communicate or express nonverbally look convey by one's expression flash make known or cause to appear with great speed breathe manifest or evince evince, express, show give expression to intend, mean mean or intend to express or convey type of: tell let something be known
verb leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking “leave it as is” “leave the young fawn alone” “leave the flowers that you see in the park behind” synonyms: leave alone, leave behind see moresee less types: let leave unchanged type of: forbear, refrain resist doing something
verb act or be so as to become in a specified state “The inflation left them penniless” “The president's remarks left us speechless” synonyms: lead, result have as a result or residue see moresee less type of: get, make give certain properties to something
verb make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain “This leaves no room for improvement” “leave lots of time for the trip” synonyms: allow, allow for, provide admit, allow afford possibility see moresee less type of: afford, give, yield be the cause or source of
noun permission to do something “she was granted leave to speak” see moresee less type of: permission approval to do something

Pronunciation US /liv/ UK /liv/ Cite this entry Style: MLA

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