leave

[ leev ]

/ liv /

verb (used with object), left, leav·ing.

to go out of or away from, as a place: to leave the house.

to depart from permanently; quit: to leave a job.

to let remain or have remaining behind after going, disappearing, ceasing, etc.: I left my wallet home. The wound left a scar.

to allow to remain in the same place, condition, etc.: Is there any coffee left?

to let stay or be as specified: to leave a door unlocked.

to let (a person or animal) remain in a position to do something without interference: We left him to his work.

to let (a thing) remain for action or decision: We left the details to the lawyer.

to give in charge; deposit; entrust: Leave the package with the receptionist. I left my name and phone number.

to stop; cease; give up: He left music to study law.

to disregard; neglect: We will leave this for the moment and concentrate on the major problem.

to give for use after one's death or departure: to leave all one's money to charity.

to have remaining after death: He leaves a wife and three children.

to have as a remainder after subtraction: 2 from 4 leaves 2.

Nonstandard. let¹(defs 1, 2, 6).

verb (used without object), left, leav·ing.

to go away, depart, or set out: We leave for Europe tomorrow.

Verb Phrases

leave alone. alone(def 7).

leave off,

to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.
to stop using or wearing: It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.
to omit: to leave a name off a list.

leave out, to omit; exclude: She left out an important detail in her account.

Origin of leave

before 900; Middle English leven, Old English lǣfan (causative formation from base of lāf remainder; see lave²); cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben to remain), Old Norse leifa, Gothic -laibjan

SYNONYMS FOR leave

1, 2 abandon, forsake, desert; relinquish.

9 forbear, renounce.

10 ignore, forget.

11 bequeath, will; devise, transmit.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR leave ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR leave

1, 2 join.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR leave ON THESAURUS.COM

usage note for leave

Leave is interchangeable with let when followed by alone with the sense “to refrain from annoying or interfering with”: Leave (or Let ) her alone and she will solve the problem easily. When he was left (or let ) alone without interruptions, the boy quickly assembled the apparatus. The use of leave alone for let alone in the sense “not to mention” is nonstandard: There wasn't any standing room, let (not leave ) alone a seat, so I missed the performance.
Other substitutions of leave for let are generally regarded as nonstandard: Let (not Leave ) us sit down and talk this over. Let (not Leave ) her do it her own way. The police wouldn't let (not leave ) us cross the barriers. See also let¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM leave

leav·er, noun

Words nearby leave

leatheroid, leatherwear, leatherwood, leatherwork, leathery, leave, leave a bad taste in one's mouth, leave a lot to be desired, leave alone, leave behind, leave flat

Definition for leave (2 of 3)

leave ²

[ leev ]

/ liv /

noun

permission to do something: to beg leave to go elsewhere.

permission to be absent, as from work or military duty: The firm offers a maternity leave as part of its benefit program.

the time this permission lasts: 30 days' leave.

a parting; departure; farewell: He took his leave before the formal ceremonies began. We took leave of them after dinner.

Metallurgy. draft(def 23).

Bowling. the pin or pins in upright position after the bowl of the first ball.

Origin of leave

before 900; Middle English leve, Old English lēaf; akin to believe, furlough, lief

SYNONYMS FOR leave

1–3 liberty.

2, 3 vacation, furlough.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR leave ON THESAURUS.COM

Definition for leave (3 of 3)

leave ³

[ leev ]

/ liv /

verb (used without object), leaved, leav·ing.

to put forth leaves; leaf.

Origin of leave

1250–1300; Middle English leven, derivative of lef leaf

Example sentences from the Web for leave

“We all shook hands and my client told me to leave,” he said.

France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers |Nico Hines |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
But outside of a few European countries and Quebec, this leave is usually two weeks or less and usually unpaid.

How Good Dads Can Change the World |Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Marvin and I leave the poolside and go into his dining room.

The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile |Robert Ward |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
So where does this leave the millions of Palestinians—like my relatives—who dream of self-determination and a sovereign state?

In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead |Dean Obeidallah |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

He prefers to express himself through Twitter and leave it at that.

How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll |Asawin Suebsaeng |December 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He so disposed his divisions as to leave Buell in utter uncertainty as to his intentions.

The History of the Confederate War, Its Causes and Its Conduct, Volume II (of 2) |George Cary Eggleston
"Still you leave me in the dark," Mahommed cried, with a frown.

The Prince of India, Volume I |Lew. Wallace
"We shall not forget what you have told us," said Gilbert, as the wreck prepared to leave the room.

The Mystery of Lincoln's Inn |Robert Machray
But since the crew was emphatically ordered to leave, a respirator might not provide much safety.

The Status Civilization |Robert Sheckley
Why, she cannot leave her home at any time, without being dogged by your spies.

An Artist in Crime |Rodrigues Ottolengui

British Dictionary definitions for leave (1 of 3)

leave ¹

/ (liːv) /

verb leaves, leaving or left (mainly tr)

(also intr) to go or depart (from a person or place)

to cause to remain behind, often by mistake, in a place he often leaves his keys in his coat

to cause to be or remain in a specified state paying the bill left him penniless

to renounce or abandon to leave a political movement

to refrain from consuming or doing something the things we have left undone

to result in; cause childhood problems often leave emotional scars

to allow to be or remain subject to another person or thing leave the past to look after itself

to entrust or commit leave the shopping to her

to submit in place of one's personal appearance will you leave your name and address?

to pass in a specified direction flying out of the country, we left the cliffs on our left

to be survived by (members of one's family) he leaves a wife and two children

to bequeath or devise he left his investments to his children

(tr) to have as a remainder 37 – 14 leaves 23

not standard to permit; let

leave be informal to leave undisturbed

leave go or leave hold of not standard to stop holding

leave it at that informal to take a matter no further

leave much to be desired to be very unsatisfactory

leave someone alone

Also: let alone See let 1 (def. 7)
to permit to stay or be alone

leave someone to himself not to control or direct someone

See also leave behind, leave off, leave out

Derived forms of leave

leaver, noun

Word Origin for leave

Old English lǣfan; related to belīfan to be left as a remainder

British Dictionary definitions for leave (2 of 3)

leave ²

/ (liːv) /

noun

permission to do something he was granted leave to speak

by your leave or with your leave with your permission

permission to be absent, as from a place of work or duty leave of absence

the duration of such absence ten days' leave

a farewell or departure (esp in the phrase take (one's) leave)

on leave officially excused from work or duty

take leave to say farewell (to)

take leave of one's senses to go mad or become irrational

Word Origin for leave

Old English lēaf; related to alӯfan to permit, Middle High German loube permission

British Dictionary definitions for leave (3 of 3)

leave ³

/ (liːv) /

verb leaves, leaving or leaved

(intr) to produce or grow leaves

Idioms and Phrases with leave

leave

In addition to the idioms beginning with leave

leave a bad taste in one's mouth
leave alone
leave a lot to be desired
leave flat
leave hanging
leave holding the bag
leave in the lurch
leave no stone unturned
leave off
leave one cold
leave open
leave out
leave out in the cold
leave out of account
leave someone alone
leave someone in peace
leave someone in the lurch
leave someone to his or her resources
leave the door open
leave to someone's own devices
leave to someone's tender mercies
leave well enough alone
leave without a leg to stand on
leave word

also see:

absent without leave
(leave) high and dry
(leave) out in the cold
take it or leave it
take leave of
take one's leave

Also see underlet.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

leave

verb (used with object), left, leav·ing.

verb (used without object), left, leav·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of leave

SYNONYMS FOR leave

ANTONYMS FOR leave

usage note for leave

OTHER WORDS FROM leave

Words nearby leave

Definition for leave (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of leave

SYNONYMS FOR leave

Definition for leave (3 of 3)

verb (used without object), leaved, leav·ing.

Origin of leave

Example sentences from the Web for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (1 of 3)

verb leaves, leaving or left (mainly tr)

Derived forms of leave

Word Origin for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (2 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (3 of 3)

verb leaves, leaving or leaved

Idioms and Phrases with leave

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

leave

verb (used with object), left, leav·ing.

verb (used without object), left, leav·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of leave

SYNONYMS FOR leave

ANTONYMS FOR leave

usage note for leave

OTHER WORDS FROM leave

Words nearby leave

Definition for leave (2 of 3)

noun

Origin of leave

SYNONYMS FOR leave

Definition for leave (3 of 3)

verb (used without object), leaved, leav·ing.

Origin of leave

Words related to leave

Example sentences from the Web for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (1 of 3)

verb leaves, leaving or left (mainly tr)

Derived forms of leave

Word Origin for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (2 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for leave

British Dictionary definitions for leave (3 of 3)

verb leaves, leaving or leaved

Idioms and Phrases with leave