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
What's left is rosemary, a spice that many, many people already have in their kitchen, or maybe even growing like an angry weed in their backyard. Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 18 May 2025 They are expected to receive $86 million more in the coming years — potentially leaving more than half of the state's uncapped wells more vulnerable to incidents like the current spill in Garden Island Bay. Dan Ruetenik, CBS News, 5 May 2025
Noun
Three employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter. Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025 Shortly after being named the acting director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness — one of the agencies Trump's budget proposal calls for eliminating — Cavanaugh placed its entire staff on administrative leave. Stephen Fowler, NPR, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for leave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave
Verb
  • President mulls joining Russia-Ukraine peace talks, expects ceasefire With Russian forces now in control of close to a fifth of Ukraine, Putin has held fast to his longstanding demands for Kyiv to cede territory, abandon its NATO membership ambitions and become a neutral country.
    USA Today, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • When Lollapalooza first announced that Olivia and Sabrina Carpenter were headlining this summer (along with Tyler, the Creator and Rüfüs Du Soul), with Abrams also in a top slot, there was the predictable gnashing of teeth that Lollapalooza is abandoning its precious rock heritage.
    Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2025
Verb
  • In 1937, the major American collector Andrew Mellon bequeathed two Vermeers to the National Gallery, which, despite the promises of Wilhelm von Bode of Berlin’s Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum and Wilhelm Martin of the Mauritshuis—titans of the European museum world—also turned out to be imitations.
    Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Walter bequeaths Iris his Great Dane, a massive bummer of a canine who keeps sinking deeper into despair over the loss of his companion.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Triggers, like client loss or staff quitting, reveal areas for personal growth.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
  • Tempting people to quit an immunity challenge for a mystery vote steal advantage?
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • Clean energy investment was worth $2.1 trillion in 2024, and while America’s clean energy economy has boomed since 2022, ceding this economic opportunity by killing off a fast-growing industry will hand that investment and jobs growth to competitors like China and the European Union.
    Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
  • Why did Haaland hand the ball over to Omar Marmoush?
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • Federal complaints previously obtained by PEOPLE stated that Waterman’s husband, Jamie Waterman, told detectives his wife confessed to killing Bush, and that the couple later burned her body and dumped it in a remote area.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 13 May 2025
  • When the beating ended, the group loaded Ortiz into the bed of a pickup truck and dumped him in a ditch, the station reported.
    Mitchell Willetts, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • Justice Elena Kagan said whether some states could become magnets for pregnant migrants to give birth, should the high court let the order take effect for some, would create a patchwork of citizenship policies among states.
    Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 16 May 2025
  • In the comments section, many people urged the bride to brush it off and not let the incident spoil her memories of her special day.
    Erin Clack, People.com, 15 May 2025
Noun
  • But in the final days of their vacation, the Daggers wound down their time abroad with a trip to Sacramento with a sole purpose: the World’s Strongest Man competition.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2025
  • Starting with their first meeting in 2016, the post includes a selfie taken in London and snapshots from their early private vacations to Botswana and Norway.
    Janine Henni, People.com, 19 May 2025
Noun
  • In addition to identifying tools, Reco assesses the data access levels assigned to each one, keeping an eye on permissions and usage to mitigate risks of exposure.
    Maria Williams, USA Today, 13 May 2025
  • Last month he was denied permission to attend the birth of first child in person, according to emails reviewed by CNN.
    Hanna Park, CNN Money, 12 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on leave

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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