leaveverb
uk/liːv/us/liːv/left, leftleave verb (GO AWAY)
A1 [ I or T ] to go away from someone or something, for a short time or permanently:
More examples
- I didn't leave the office until eight o'clock last night.
- A young girl was crying, protesting that she didn't want to leave her mother.
- We gathered our things together and left quickly.
- Soon we had left the river estuary and were heading towards the open sea .
- Your flight to Perth will leave from Terminal 4.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Departing
- abandon
- absquatulate
- backward
- be ready to roll idiom
- bog
- desertion
- drive
- go down
- hit
- piss
- push along
- push off
- ready
- run
- run away
- sally
- track
- walk off (somewhere)
- walk out
- without (so much as) a backward glance idiom
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leave verb (NOT TAKE)
A2 [ T ] to not take something or someone with you when you go, either intentionally or by accident:
More examples
- Guests are advised not to leave any articles of value in their hotel rooms.
- Never leave your luggage unattended.
- It's considered good manners in some societies to leave a little food on your plate.
- She absent-mindedly left her umbrella on the bus.
- That's funny - I'm sure I left my keys here.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Departing
- abandon
- absquatulate
- backward
- be ready to roll idiom
- bog
- desertion
- drive
- go down
- hit
- piss
- push along
- push off
- ready
- run
- run away
- sally
- track
- walk off (somewhere)
- walk out
- without (so much as) a backward glance idiom
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leave verb (REMAIN)
A2 If something leaves something else, a part or effect of it stays after it has gone or been used:
B2 [ T ] If you leave something in a particular condition, you do not touch it, move it, or act to change it in any way, so that it stays in the same condition:
C1 [ T + obj + -ing verb ] If you leave something or someone doing something, he, she, or it is still doing it when you go away:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Affecting and influencing
- across-the-board
- act
- affect
- applicability
- be/fall under sb's influence/spell idiom
- bear on sth
- cross
- force
- impact
- inroad
- inspiration
- instrumental
- jerk
- lead 1
- leave your/its mark on sb/sth idiom
- tilt the balance/scales idiom
- turn sb's head idiom
- unlock
- warp
- work against/for sb
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leave verb (NOT USE ALL)
A2 [ T ] to not eat or use all of something:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Staying and remaining
- closeted
- halt
- hang
- hold
- hold sb over
- keep to somewhere
- remaining
- residual
- rest
- sit tight idiom
- sojourn
- stand
- stay
- stick
- stop
- stop in
- tarry
- vestigial
- wait
- wait behind
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leave verb (STOP)
A1 [ T ] to stop doing something, or to leave a place because you have finished an activity:
More examples
- She walked straight into a well-paid job after leaving university.
- I never get to see her now that she's left the company.
- He left the priesthood to get married.
- My contract specifies that I must give a month's notice if I leave my job.
- After I leave college, I want to travel round the world.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Causing something to end
- abandon
- all good things (must) come to an end idiom
- and have done with it idiom
- be over the hump idiom
- bitter
- draw
- knock off (sth)
- lay
- lay sth to rest idiom
- lay the ghost of sth (to rest) idiom
- leave it at that idiom
- leave off (sth/doing sth)
- lid
- lift
- raise
- suppression
- the curtain falls on sth idiom
- to the bitter end idiom
- top sth off
- walk
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leave verb (END RELATIONSHIP)
B1 [ T ] to end a relationship with a husband, wife, or partner and stop living with them:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Relationships: ending & divorce
- a parting of the ways idiom
- affiliation order
- annul
- break up
- break-up
- child support
- chuck
- give sb the elbow idiom
- give sb the heave-ho idiom
- give sb the push idiom
- go off with sb
- grow apart
- push
- split
- split up
- split up
- throw
- throw sb over
- tug of love
- visitation
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leave verb (WAIT)
C2 [ T ] If you leave (doing) something, you wait before you do it:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Waiting
- await
- hang
- hang around (somewhere)
- hang on
- hang round (somewhere)
- hold
- hover
- lounge
- mark time idiom
- mill
- mill around
- queue
- ready
- sit
- wait for sb/sth
- wait in
- wait list
- wait on sth
- wait up
- wait list
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leave verb (AFTER DEATH)
[ T ] To leave a wife, husband, or other close family member is to die while these family members are still alive:
C2 [ + two objects ] If you leave something that you own to someone, you say they should receive it when you die:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Death and dying
- be pushing up (the) daisies idiom
- bereave
- bite
- bury
- buy the farm idiom
- deceased
- depart
- done
- drop
- expire
- foot
- gone
- inquest
- peg
- posthumous
- road kill
- SIDS
- strike
- sudden infant death syndrome
- the disappeared
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leave verb (GIVE RESPONSIBILITY)
[ T ] to allow someone to make a choice or decision about something, or to make someone responsible for something:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Allowing and permitting
- admit of sth
- allow
- allow of sth
- allowable
- authorization
- authorize
- concession
- green
- head
- let
- let sb/sth in
- let sb/sth out
- licence
- license
- mandate
- OK
- open the floodgates idiom
- sanction
- submit
- unlicensed
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Idiom(s)
Phrasal verb(s)
leavenoun
uk/liːv/us/liːv/leave noun (HOLIDAY)
C2 [ U ] time allowed away from work for a holiday or illness:
formal permission to be away from work or studies
More examples
- I haven't got any leave left.
- He's on leave this week.
- I get 25 days annual leave.
- I need to take some leave before the end of the year.
- We were given an extra day's leave.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Time off
- absentee
- Boxing Day
- break
- career break
- comp time
- compassionate leave
- holiday
- hols
- legal holiday
- maternity leave
- parental leave
- paternity leave
- R and R
- recess
- sickie
- skive
- take sth off
- tea break
- time off in lieu
- weekend
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leave noun (PERMISSION)
[ U ] formal permission or agreement:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Allowing and permitting
- admit of sth
- allow
- allow of sth
- allowable
- authorization
- authorize
- concession
- green
- head
- let
- let sb/sth in
- let sb/sth out
- licence
- license
- mandate
- OK
- open the floodgates idiom
- sanction
- submit
- unlicensed
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leave noun (GOODBYE)
to say goodbye:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Departing
- abandon
- absquatulate
- backward
- be ready to roll idiom
- bog
- desertion
- drive
- go down
- hit
- piss
- push along
- push off
- ready
- run
- run away
- sally
- track
- walk off (somewhere)
- walk out
- without (so much as) a backward glance idiom
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