depart

verb

de·​part di-ˈpärt 

dē-

departed; departing; departs

intransitive verb

1

a

: to go away : leave

The flight departed on time.

b

formal : die

My aunt departed this life [=my aunt died] at the age of 92.

c

: to leave a job or position

departed after 20 years as manager

2

a

: to turn aside : deviate

The river departs from its usual course downstream.

b

: to change something or do something in a different way

The actors were not allowed to depart from the script.

transitive verb

: to go away from : leave

The train is about to depart the station.

Synonyms of depart

• 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

Sac State is departing the Big Sky Conference after 29 seasons to join the California-heavy Big West Conference starting next academic year. —Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025

Loud And Live took over the space in 2023, picking up where dearly departed Santa’s Enchanted Forest left off (another story altogether). —Miami Herald, 14 Nov. 2025

The crew departed China's Tiangong space station on another spacecraft, landing Friday in northern China, the nation's human spaceflight agency announced. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025

Jenny Daly has decided to depart her role as President. —Peter White, Deadline, 14 Nov. 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)