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
Example Sentences
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 WebAll three are scheduled to depart for Taiwan to play for Team Italy.—The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023 After the discovery, agents responded to the gate Clouden's flight was scheduled to depart from.—Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2023 Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a trip to China on Friday, just hours before he was scheduled to depart, because of the balloon incursion.—John Hudson, Ellen Nakashima And Dan Lamothe, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Feb. 2023 Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a trip to China on Friday, just hours before he was scheduled to depart, because of the balloon incursion.—John Hudson, Ellen Nakashima And Dan Lamothe, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Feb. 2023 Secretary of State Antony Blinken called off a trip to China on Friday, just hours before he was scheduled to depart, because of the balloon incursion.—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2023 The FedEx plane was attempting to land on the same runway the Southwest Airlines flight was scheduled to depart from before the FedEx flight aborted its landing.—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2023 Downeaster Train 689, which is scheduled to depart Boston North Station (BON) on 1/24, has been canceled due to severe weather conditions.—Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Jan. 2023 As evidence, prosecutors cited Holmes’ purchase of a one-way ticket to Mexico that was scheduled to depart in late January 2022, three weeks after she was convicted.—Jacob Carpenter, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2023 See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'depart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
: 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)
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