Synonym Chooser

How does the verb depart contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of depart are deviate, digress, diverge, swerve, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

Where would deviate be a reasonable alternative to depart?

The synonyms deviate and depart are sometimes interchangeable, but deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

When could digress be used to replace depart?

While the synonyms digress and depart are close in meaning, digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

How do diverge and depart relate to one another?

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

When is it sensible to use swerve instead of depart?

The meanings of swerve and depart largely overlap; however, swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

When can veer be used instead of depart?

The words veer and depart are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

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 depart The State Department said, at this time, there is no new information to share about assistance for U.S. citizens wishing to depart from Israel. Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 18 June 2025 When brands decided to follow the advice of the World Federation of Advertisers by departing the controversial platform, Musk sued the WFA. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 18 June 2025 The original Pan Am southerly transatlantic route, which departed from Port Washington, New York, stopped in the Azores, Lisbon and Marseille. Zach Wichter, USA Today, 18 June 2025 The Chinese hospital ship CNS Silk Road Ark departs from Sanya on China's southern Hainan Island for a medical mission in the South China Sea on June 16, 2025. Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for depart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depart
Verb
  • The big exited Barclays Center that night in a walking boot and stayed in New York Friday to undergo further imaging and evaluation while the team traveled to Seattle to begin a four-game roadtrip.
    Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 22 June 2025
  • Rodriguez, 21, has not pitched since exiting a June 8 game with what was termed a biceps issue by the organization.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • At some point during our new Gilded Age, as the United States and the world have become more unequal, did Prince Charming die?
    Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
  • If your team is afraid to disagree, if failure is punished, if new ideas die in PowerPoint—your culture needs rewiring.
    Bill Fischer, Forbes.com, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • Wales have done well under Wilkinson to move away from a hardened reputation as being Fishlock’s team and become more of a sum of their parts.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 June 2025
  • Protests by locals, who are frustrated with overtourism and Bezos’ links to President Donald Trump, forced Bezos to move a wedding party from a central Venetian nightlife area to a more isolated part of the city, Reuters reported.
    Conor Murray, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a summer visitor, as was her late son John F. Kennedy Jr., who perished in a plane crash off the coast with his wife Carolyn Bessette and sister-in-law Lauren in 1999.
    Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 27 June 2025
  • Hundreds of Israeli civilians were injured in Iranian attacks, many homes were destroyed, and a few dozen civilians were killed, including five who perished in an Iranian attack on Beersheba minutes before the cease-fire took effect.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Simple lifestyle and dietary changes are usually all that is needed to get back on track when things go awry.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 24 June 2025
  • The transponders onboard Relay 2 stopped responding to radio signals in June 1967, after which point the satellite went silent—until last June.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • When her moment came to walk the red carpet three days later, a radiant Cassie held hands with Combs, her hair styled to fall just over her injured eyebrow and eye.
    Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • Season two saw Valerie cast in an HBO project about the sitcom writer who made her life hell in season one, earning widespread acclaim professionally even as her personal life was falling apart.
    Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • As New York closed in on Tuesday's vote, more investors got nervous as the polls showed Mamdani was leading.
    Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 26 June 2025
  • Daniels gets his guy Aiyuk, who's the younger, and potentially better receiver.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Growing your personal brand means setting clear boundaries or watching your day disappear.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
  • When Solutions acquired the property for program participants, crime disappeared.
    Paul C Webster, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Depart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depart. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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