leave 1 of 2

1
2
as in to bequeath
to give by means of a will I'm going to leave all of my possessions to my children

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
5
6

leave

2 of 2

noun

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
3

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
Verb
The series left an undeniable mark on American television history and remains a nostalgic favorite. Tereza Shkurtaj, People.com, 5 July 2025 Schmidt left Thursday’s game after three innings and 55 pitches. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 July 2025
Noun
AmeriCorps let thousands of volunteers go earlier this year after the Trump administration slashed grants and placed a majority of staff on administrative leave. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025 Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary leave on Thursday due to a gambling investigation by Major League Baseball, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press. Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for leave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave
Verb
  • Retired repos add risk: When maintainers abandon a namespace, attackers can adopt it and push trojan updates.
    Syed Ahmed, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Never desert a blaze: Avoid abandoning any fire without supervision.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Before his death, Rodin bequeathed all his works and possessions to France.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • The former estate was bequeathed to the Swiss state in 1973, according to the Geneva government.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 May 2025
Verb
  • In April alone, 3.2 million Americans quit their jobs.
    Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • To say the quiet part out loud: many athletes have previously felt that choosing to have a child meant having to quit.
    L'Oréal Blackett, Refinery29, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • After her first two England camps in charge in September 2021, Wiegman — in the absence of former England captain Steph Houghton — handed Williamson the armband.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 5 July 2025
  • One day in his office, he was handed five new lawsuits.
    Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • And one recent event included a surprise appearance from two contestants who were recently dumped from the island.
    Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 11 July 2025
  • The bout of storms comes after torrential rainfall Tuesday night dumped nearly 5.5 inches of rain within 90 minutes, prompting reports of flooding in basements and viaducts on the city’s West Side.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Whether that puts your eyes onto your career and public image, your personal connections, or even a new hobby or interest, let this encourage you to lead full force in that direction with vulnerability and inspiration.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 July 2025
  • When the outdoor cooling station opened on Friday, White drove by to find no chairs for people to sit and no signage letting people know the cooling station was there.
    Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • The small town about 15 miles south of the Vatican has hosted popes for the summer dating back to the 1600s, but Pope Francis never took a summer vacation during his 12-year papacy.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 6 July 2025
  • One shopper ordered these strappy sandals to take on vacation and was impressed with their quality and comfort.
    Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
Noun
  • Reprinted with permission from Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
    Ekow Eshun July 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
  • Still, many members of the church don’t want to stop attending Mass even if leaders give them permission.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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