Synonyms for leave
- verb
- noun
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Go
go, depart, go away, go out, abandon, quit, get informal, start, drop, forsake, pull up stakes, set out, retire, evacuate, renounce, part, go forth, cease, buzz off, ditch, desert, sod off vulgar informal UK IE
3. Exit — to depart; to separate from. To depart; to go away from a certain place or state
exit, make tracks, set forth, egress formal US, absent rare
Other
let alone, allow, get off, let be, relinquish, give over, forget, stop, re-sign, allow for, take wing, run along
Noun
1. Day off — permission to be absent; time away from one's work
time-off, day off, break, vacation US CA, get-away, holiday UK, recess, vacay US, annual leave
2. Farewell — farewell, departure
3. Let — permission
let, permission, allowance, say-so informal, license US, licence UK, liberty, authorization UK US, authorisation UK, authority, consent, clearance, permit dated
Definitions
- v. 1
To depart; to separate from. To depart; to go away from a certain place or state.
I think you'd better leave.
- v. 2
To have a consequence or remnant. To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely.
I left my car at home and took a bus to work.
- n. 1
Permission to be absent; time away from one's work.
I've just been given three weeks' leave by my boss — I don't think I still have some leave owing to me.
- n. 2
Permission.
Might I beg leave to accompany you?
Related words
Choose the right word
Leave implies that the recipient may decide whether to use the license granted or not.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Example sentences
- abandon Many Armenians were forced to abandon their lands.
- depart At what time does the taxi to the airport depart?
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| leave | rising | |
| abandon | steady | |
| depart | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 2 letters
- go1
- 3 letters
- get1, let1
- 4 letters
- will1, part1, give1, stop1, drop1, quit1, exit2
- 5 letters
- start1, break1, allow2, cease1, ditch1, adieu2, vacay
- 6 letters
- forget2, desert2, commit2, permit2, retire2, absent2, depart2, recess2, devise2, entail2, impart2, egress2
- 7 letters
- holiday3, license2, consent2, liberty3, abandon3, licence2, parting2, forsake2, consign2
- 8 letters
- vacation3, farewell2, evacuate4, renounce2, bequeath2
- 9 letters
- authority4, departure3, surrender3, clearance2, allowance3
- 10 letters
- permission3, relinquish3
- 13 letters
- authorization5, authorisation
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (exit2 = 2 syllables).