leave

¹

[ leev ]

verb (used with object)

, left, leav·ing.

1. to go out of or away from, as a place:

   to leave the house.

   Synonyms: relinquish, desert, forsake, abandon

   Antonyms: join

2. to depart from permanently; quit:

   to leave a job.

   Synonyms: relinquish, desert, forsake, abandon

   Antonyms: join

3. to let remain or have remaining behind after going, disappearing, ceasing, etc.:

   I left my wallet home.

   The wound left a scar.

4. to allow to remain in the same place, condition, etc.:

   Is there any coffee left?

5. to let stay or be as specified:

   to leave a door unlocked.

6. to let (a person or animal) remain in a position to do something without interference:

   We left him to his work.

7. to let (a thing) remain for action or decision:

   We left the details to the lawyer.

8. to give in charge; deposit; entrust:

   Leave the package with the receptionist.

   I left my name and phone number.

9. to stop; cease; give up:

   He left music to study law.

   Synonyms: renounce, forbear

10. to disregard; neglect:

    We will leave this for the moment and concentrate on the major problem.

    Synonyms: forget, ignore

11. to give for use after one's death or departure:

    to leave all one's money to charity.

    Synonyms: transmit, devise, will, bequeath

12. to have remaining after death:

    He leaves a wife and three children.

13. to have as a remainder after subtraction:

    2 from 4 leaves 2.

14. Nonstandard. let ¹( defs 1, 2, 6 ).

verb (used without object)

, left, leav·ing.

1. to go away, depart, or set out:

   We leave for Europe tomorrow.

verb phrase

1. to omit; exclude:

   She left out an important detail in her account.

2. 1. to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.
   2. to stop using or wearing:

      It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.

   3. to omit:

      to leave a name off a list.

leave

²

[ leev ]

noun

1. permission to do something:

   to beg leave to go elsewhere.

   Synonyms: liberty

2. permission to be absent, as from work or military duty:

   The firm offers a maternity leave as part of its benefit program.

   Synonyms: furlough, vacation, liberty

3. the time this permission lasts:

   30 days' leave.

   Synonyms: furlough, vacation, liberty

4. a parting; departure; farewell:

   He took his leave before the formal ceremonies began.

   We took leave of them after dinner.

5. Metallurgy. draft ( def 23 ).
6. Bowling. the pin or pins in upright position after the bowl of the first ball.

leave

³

[ leev ]

verb (used without object)

, leaved, leav·ing.

1. to put forth leaves; leaf.

leave

¹

/ liːv /

noun

1. permission to do something

   he was granted leave to speak

2. by your leave or with your leave
   with your permission
3. permission to be absent, as from a place of work or duty

   leave of absence

4. the duration of such absence

   ten days' leave

5. a farewell or departure (esp in the phrase take ( one's ) leave )
6. on leave
   officially excused from work or duty
7. take leave
   to say farewell (to)
8. take leave of one's senses
   to go mad or become irrational

leave

²

/ liːv /

verb

1. intr to produce or grow leaves

leave

³

/ liːv /

verb

1. also intr to go or depart (from a person or place)
2. to cause to remain behind, often by mistake, in a place

   he often leaves his keys in his coat

3. to cause to be or remain in a specified state

   paying the bill left him penniless

4. to renounce or abandon

   to leave a political movement

5. to refrain from consuming or doing something

   the things we have left undone

6. to result in; cause

   childhood problems often leave emotional scars

7. to allow to be or remain subject to another person or thing

   leave the past to look after itself

8. to entrust or commit

   leave the shopping to her

9. to submit in place of one's personal appearance

   will you leave your name and address?

10. to pass in a specified direction

    flying out of the country, we left the cliffs on our left

11. to be survived by (members of one's family)

    he leaves a wife and two children

12. to bequeath or devise

    he left his investments to his children

13. tr to have as a remainder

    37 – 14 leaves 23

14. not_standard.
    to permit; let
15. leave be informal.
    to leave undisturbed
16. leave go or leave hold of not_standard.
    to stop holding
17. leave it at that informal.
    to take a matter no further
18. leave much to be desired
    to be very unsatisfactory
19. leave someone alone
    1. Alsolet alone See let 1
    2. to permit to stay or be alone
20. leave someone to himself
    not to control or direct someone

Usage Note

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. let ¹.

Derived Forms

• ˈleaver, noun

Other Words From

• leav·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of leave¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English leven “to stop, cease, discontinue; abandon; allow; depart, leave,” Old English lǣfan “to leave; remain; have or be left remaining”; cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben “to remain”), Old Norse leifa “to leave, leave behind, leave (food) as a leftover, bequeath, abandon,” Gothic bilaibjan “to leave, leave behind, forsake”; lave ²

Origin of leave²

First recorded before 900; Middle English leve, leave, leife “permission, permission to go, farewell,” Old English lēaf “permission, license”; akin to believe, furlough, lief

Origin of leave³

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English leven, lefie, derivative of lef “leaf”; leaf

Word History and Origins

Origin of leave¹

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

Origin of leave²

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. leave alone,
   1. Also let alone. to refrain from annoying or interfering with:

      Those kids wouldn't leave the dog alone, and he eventually turned on them.

      She finally shouted, “Leave me alone!” at the man who had been following her for several blocks.

   2. to allow or cause (someone) to be left on their own: They left me all alone, and I couldn’t figure out how to get back home.

      Leave him alone—he wants to rest.

      They left me all alone, and I couldn’t figure out how to get back home.

2. leave well enough alone. alone ( def 8 ).

More idioms and phrases containing leave

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

Example Sentences

He is expected to conduct "very little public-facing activity" before leaving the post, the statement said, adding that he "plans to honour a small number of remaining commitments".

From BBC

They walked away, effectively leaving the company under the control of its lenders.

From BBC

The release comes after the expiration of the 2018 Farm Bill extension on Sept. 30, 2023, leaving many programs under the bill vulnerable to lapsing as the year-end deadline approaches.

From Salon

"Sometimes we feel pressure to, but we would rather leave this to the experts."

From BBC

The UK Labour government has also said it is exploring ways to improve the effectiveness of a scheme that allows foreign nationals leave prisons in England and Wales before their sentence is finished.

From BBC

Related Words

• furlough
• leave of absence
• retirement
• sabbatical
• vacation