depart

verb

de·​part di-ˈpärt 

dē-

departed; departing; departs

intransitive verb

1

a

: to go away : leave

b

: die

2

: to turn aside : deviate

transitive verb

: to go away from : leave

Synonyms

• exit
• move
• go
• get
• start
• flee
• quit
• evacuate

Choose the Right Synonym for depart

swerve, veer, deviate, depart, digress, diverge mean to turn aside from a straight course.

swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

Examples of depart in a Sentence

The group is scheduled to depart tomorrow at 8:00 a.m.

Our flight departs at 6:15 a.m.

The train departed the station on time.

He is departing after 20 years with the company.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Senate departed for the weekend on Thursday following a 10th failed vote on the clean GOP measure, and the House has been on recess for the past four weeks in a bid to pressure Democrats to accept that bill. —Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025

Cuts are expected across theatrical, streaming, linear and all other divisions, with key executives having already departed. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025

Eberechi Eze, so crucial at the end of last season with seven goals in six games, including the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, departed for Arsenal in the summer, but that does not appear to have disrupted them. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

Ego Nwodim has lined up her first project since departing Saturday Night Live last month. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to divide, part company, from Anglo-French departir, from de- + partir to divide, from Latin partire, from part-, pars part

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing depart

• depart this life

Rhymes for depart

• apart
• flowchart
• forepart
• impart
• pushcart
• rampart
• redstart
• restart
• subpart
• sweetheart
• upstart
• art

Kids Definition

depart

verb

de·​part di-ˈpärt 

1

a

: to go away or go away from : leave

b

: die entry 1 sense 1

2

: to turn aside : deviate

Legal Definition

depart

intransitive verb

de·​part

: to fail to follow : deviate from a course or standard

rather than sentencing petitioners to a term within the Guideline range, however, the District Court departed downward eight levels

—Koon v. United States, 518 U.S. 81 (1996)