1
as in to abandon
to cause to remain behind
you can leave your lunch in the refrigerator while we're outside starry-eyed lovers who promise never to leave one another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to quit
to give up (a job or office)
he left his job in the city and moved out into the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to hand
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
why don't you leave your watch with me while you swim?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to dump
to end a usually intimate relationship with
is there ever a good way to leave a lover?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to let
to give permission to
aw, leave him come
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in vacation
a period during which the usual routine of school or work is suspended
the soldier was on leave for three days before having to report back to base
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in permission
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
the editor gave the reporters leave to follow up on their initial investigation of the senator's fund-raising practices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in departure
the act of leaving a place
the party was clearly dying down, and it was time to take our leave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of leave
Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Voodoo is an ambitious record that seeks nothing less than to unstick black music from commercial considerations and leave it free to seek its muse.
—Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2025
Rivers, 48, was diagnosed with liver disease in 2011 due to excessive drinking and received a liver transplant in 2017 after taking a temporary leave from the nu-metal band in 2015, before returning in 2018.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leave
Verb
Most of those who shaped or even marginally influenced the events of October 7th are gone, leaving Gaza’s authority withered to the point that even managing the hostages has become paralyzingly difficult.
—Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
Voodoo is an ambitious record that seeks nothing less than to unstick black music from commercial considerations and leave it free to seek its muse.
—Touré, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
There were no adults in the room because the drama teacher was on leave and the substitute hadn’t arrived from another campus, Chris Kamo said.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2025
Rivers, 48, was diagnosed with liver disease in 2011 due to excessive drinking and received a liver transplant in 2017 after taking a temporary leave from the nu-metal band in 2015, before returning in 2018.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave
Verb
-
Her motive for abandoning her daughter is unclear at this time.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Around 100 pairs were found abandoned on the roof, perhaps due to the thieves being frightened away, Sheriff John Budensiek said at the news conference.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But following outcry from U.S. bishops, public backlash, and even a meandering demur from Pope Leo XIV, the award is no longer being bequeathed.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Oct. 2025
-
There are also wooden pews made for the school’s Bond Chapel and 72,000 glass slides from the art-history department, all of which were bequeathed to Gates over the years.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The boy can quit abruptly because there will be more interchangeable jobs—more elevators, more shoes, more greasy pots.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Play Now Marathon Runner from #cambodia refuses to quit and is rewarded!—
John Wihbey,
Time,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And while handing Ole Miss its first loss of the year was reason to celebrate, things got pretty somber rather quickly for the Bulldogs after learning the injury status of one of their top playmakers.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
-
There are Reddit groups dedicated to the hobby of collecting new and vintage matchbooks, and even a website called Matchbooktraveler that catalogs restaurants in the United States that hand them out.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With exactly 11 minutes remaining, Walker dumped a screen pass off to O’Brien.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In some cases, a major winter storm will dump heavy snow in northern areas, while the South contends with a springlike severe storm threat from the same system.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The glowing sensors also let scientists study enzymes that regulate cellular behavior.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
-
And while the end result was once again pretty anti-climactic, there were actually some other notable things happening in episode 5 of Survivor 49, so let’s make like Nate and MC on the sandbags and get to work.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That left the vacation-friends spatter-fest Speak No Evil to provide Blumhouse’s only positive cash flow for the year.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
At the beginning of August, the Jonas Brothers singer shared a series of photos on his Instagram from his beach vacation with Chopra Jonas and Malti.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Customers in Texas and Arizona can receive parcels from the flying delivery liaisons, and Amazon has received beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) permissions from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which means the drones can, theoretically, start to scale for delivery.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
-
There’s a particular kind of excellence that happens when Black women stop waiting for permission and just build.—
Essence,
Essence,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share