leaves 1 of 2

Definition of leavesnext
present tense third-person singular of leave
1
2
as in bequeaths
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 quits
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

leaves

2 of 2

noun

plural of leave
1
as in vacations
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 leaves
Verb
Its infrastructure, which carries rich resources across vast desert terrain, leaves it an easy target for the cheaper one-way drones developed by the Houthis. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026 The delay leaves unpopular Palestinian Authority leaders in place and sidesteps a potential opposition alliance, as Palestinians have not voted in a legislative election since Hamas won in 2006. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 The deal leaves untouched the vast majority of Brussels’ $1 billion-a-day trade deficit with Beijing. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 Oct. 2026 Sons of the Apocalypse Deep Com Roots Former Jehovah’s Witness Becky leaves her closed religious community and travels from Spain to New York after falling for an outsider to her religion. — Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 Elite pitching can carry a team deep into the postseason, but poor hitting often leaves a team with a thin margin for error, especially when its biggest star is struggling. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 Although the 100-sheet maximum capacity leaves a bit to be desired, the low $159 sale price right now makes up for it in spades. — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026 The duo leaves us there for nearly six minutes, sending drone clouds of various textures while Schwendener’s voice drifts through the distant fog. — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026 And for an offense that managed just one extra-base hit in the series, coming in the final inning, that leaves behind an unfilled filling for an offensive unit that produced so many scoring opportunities in the regular season. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
This spirit makes drinks that pair perfectly with the season as the leaves fall and the sweaters come out of the back of the closet. — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, a spacious surface leaves room for monitors, notebooks, coffee, plants, and whatever other essentials keep her ideas flowing. — Ethan Stone october 9, Idaho Statesman, 9 Oct. 2026 Pink noise is softer and deeper, closer to rustling leaves or ocean waves. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026 Air pockets trapped between overlapping leaves moderate the soil temperature and slow heat transfer, buffering against the freeze-thaw cycles that heave soil, fracture plant roots and expose beneficial soil microbes to lethal cold. — Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 The leaves and flowers of the plant are particularly rich in kaempferol and its derivatives. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026 As that water dripped across the shelter floor, calcium carbonate settled on anything lying around—logs, leaves, pine cones, and Neanderthal tools. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026 There's a fittingly witchy gift shop filled with all sorts of tchotchkes and collectibles, including spell books, tarot cards, cups for reading tea leaves, and a selection of history books. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026 The air is crisp (finally), the leaves are crisp, and the apples are perfect for crisp martinis. — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaves
Verb
  • Bonny abandons her film, recognizing how its obscuring her filial understanding.
    — Ryan Chapman, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • As Washington abandons talks with Iran for an aggressive economic pressure campaign, a cornered Tehran is now threatening military escalation and a wider war to force negotiators back to the table.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Every researcher who quits Anthropic to write a viral letter about extinction is casting himself, in the drama running in his own head, as Oppenheimer walking away from the bomb.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Except that Ruari quits university just days into the term to move back home without explanation.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • If your agent hands price negotiation to a second agent, which hands execution to a third, what authority arrives at the end of the chain?
    — Michael Riedl, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • If a retreat hands you a personalized microbiome report, treat it as an interesting snapshot, not a diagnosis and not a prescription.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Similarly, places that rely on natural snow, like Monarch Mountain and Wolf Creek Ski Area, don’t set open dates until Mother Nature dumps a healthy helping of powder.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2026
  • How Monster Depicts the Borden Murders Their first attempt involves serving the couple oysters in May, when the series says the city of Fall River dumps its sewage over the oyster beds, contaminating the shellfish with potentially fatal bacteria.
    — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Unlike a conventional tattoo, whose visible design generally remains until the pigment is removed or altered, PhotoTat lets users switch their tattoos between coloured and nearly invisible states.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Winter lets the spaces between each downbeat expand and contract, as if his Steinway grand has lungs.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Nicks said she's specifically noticed steep price increases over recent years in the grocery store produce aisle and when looking at airline flights for vacations.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
  • On his Instagram, Hori posted pictures of beach vacations in Europe and the Caribbean.
    — Monika Evstatieva, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • When the user reached out to Meta, a support staff member reportedly recommended disabling several settings, including mic and camera permissions.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Depending on the app, its permissions and its privacy practices, that technology may collect or receive information about your device and location.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Of the 186 chief executive departures Challenger, Gray & Christmas counted in August, government and nonprofit organizations accounted for 62, more than any other sector.
    — Anna Maria Chavez, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The company’s goal is to combine rail’s energy and cost advantages with more frequent departures and greater flexibility.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaves. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on leaves

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