1
as in departure
the act of leaving a place
the leave-taking of the guest of honor was scheduled for 11 o'clock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in farewell
the act or process of two or more persons going off in different directions
the sweethearts' leave-taking was filled with tearful pauses and promises to meet again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of leave-taking
The study of leave-taking was assumed to be more complicated than the study of greetings.
—
Shayla Love, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Read More: 8 Polite Ways to Decline a Party Invitation
The second part of leave-taking is expressing your gratitude to the host, which calls for another straightforward and succinct two words.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 8 Dec. 2025
How can a child understand this kind of leave-taking?
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Jan. 2024
With Nitti’s leave-taking, McEntire sent home Noah Spencer and Ms. Monet, with Ruby Leigh, Jordan Ranier and Jacquie Roar moving on to the live shows.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2023
Forest fires were lowering human birth weights, zoo chimpanzees in Kyoto enjoy virtual forests, and the chimpanzees of the Bossou community are formal in their greetings but unceremonious in their leave-taking.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022
Shayla Love, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
Read More: 8 Polite Ways to Decline a Party Invitation
The second part of leave-taking is expressing your gratitude to the host, which calls for another straightforward and succinct two words.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 8 Dec. 2025
How can a child understand this kind of leave-taking?
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Jan. 2024
With Nitti’s leave-taking, McEntire sent home Noah Spencer and Ms. Monet, with Ruby Leigh, Jordan Ranier and Jacquie Roar moving on to the live shows.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2023
Forest fires were lowering human birth weights, zoo chimpanzees in Kyoto enjoy virtual forests, and the chimpanzees of the Bossou community are formal in their greetings but unceremonious in their leave-taking.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave-taking
Noun
-
The stakes are high as the industry awaits whether the new collection will signal a departure from the bold, intricate aesthetic that defined Olivier Rousteing’s 14-year tenure at the house.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
-
But this follows the introduction of the iPhone 16e last year, a departure from the sporadic releases of its previous budget smartphone, the SE line.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The band famously launched its first farewell tour more than two decades ago.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
About 15 of their relatives were in attendance for the private farewell.—
InStyle Editors,
InStyle,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leave-taking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave-taking. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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