Definition of leavenext
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
After 42 years in service, the vessel leaves behind a legacy as one of the Navy’s most capable conventionally armed strike platforms. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026 Mayo and Kinney were confirmed as returning to the show for season 15 in May, leaving the fates of much of the rest of the cast still in the air. Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Noun
American soldiers fighting in the Mediterranean theater were sent there on leave during WWII. Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026 The best type of tea to re-steep is anything that starts very potent, or features tea leaves that are on the larger, coarser side, rather than finely ground. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for leave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave
Verb
  • To pull that off, Daunt abandoned an old business model whereby publishers gave Barnes & Noble a discount for carrying the same books at all its stores and positioning them in the same place for the same amount of time.
    Phil Wahba, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Like him, many other residents of the sizable tent community off Fish Hatchery Road have no plans to abandon their dwellings for a first-come, first-serve downtown shelter bed that may not be available the next night.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But instead, many Africans were further exploited and bequeathed with debt that continues to this day.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • The avenues running along the park’s eastern and western edges are framed by museums, art galleries, and concert halls bequeathed by Carnegies, Morgans, and Fricks.
    Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • Conflict began in the country in 2013 after mostly Muslim rebels seized power and forced then President François Bozizé to quit.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Garcia quit her job as a pharmacy tech to help manage her son's behavior.
    Larry Seward, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara each hit two-run home runs, and the Chicago Cubs handed the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth consecutive loss with a 10-5 victory Monday night at Wrigley Field.
    Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • From being handed important communication roles on defense to being moved around as a chess piece in multiple defensive spots, Downs has answered each challenge the coaching staff has handed him.
    Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Brie dumped Jacy Jayne to the outside and mocked Nikki Bella’s dance.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Overwhelmed fans reported blacking out at the Eras Tour, all memories of the night dumped.
    Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Ceuta’s residents recalled a similar but smaller migration crisis in 2021, when the Moroccan government dropped its border controls and let several thousand people from Morocco and sub-Saharan countries into Ceuta over two days.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The changes beef up requirements for registering vacant properties with the city, including owners letting the city know their intent going forward.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • At the peak of the evacuations, a third of a million people were driven from homes and vacation sites in France and Spain.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
  • The vacation marks another public meeting for Aniston and Cox, who have remained close since Friends wrapped in 2004.
    Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026
Noun
  • The core challenge is agents' ability to exploit existing weaknesses at scale, necessitating improved governance and careful permission management.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • If a parent denies permission, the platform will automatically revert to a chronological feed of posts shared by people the child already follows, resembling social media apps before the rise of algorithms.
    Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on leave

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster