leaves 1 of 2

Definition of leavesnext
present tense third-person singular of leave
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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

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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
Incredibly, in their last two postseason series, the Phillies are 0-4 when their starter leaves the game with a lead. Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Under full-accrual standards, expenses are recognized when incurred, not when cash leaves the account. Sheila Weinberg, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2026 That just leaves an Oscar and a Tony for the multihyphenate to acquire. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026 The formula leaves a clean slate with clarifying acids— a BHA (salicylic acid) and an AHA (malic acid)—to clear away any build up on the scalp, and strengthens with omega-9 (oleic acid) to support healthier waves from root-to-tip. Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026 Riding the heels of the original’s incredible impact on the genre, Scream 2 leaves the sleepy town of Woodsboro and arrives on the campus of Windsor College. Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026 For candidates navigating the midterm elections, that leaves increasingly little separation between what counts as a local issue and what counts as a national one. Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026 That leaves the 204 hp and 443 lb-ft of turbo-diesel V6 output to be distributed among the original four wheels. New Atlas, 5 Sep. 2026 Here, the perpetual journey leaves infinite imprints with travelers. Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
Noun
Indeed, the days are now getting noticeably shorter and the leaves will soon be changing color. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026 Made with real tea leaves and fruit rather than powder, the concentrates come in flavors like Peach Black Tea, Mango Oolong and Lemon Yuzu Jasmine Green. ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 Instead of raking and bagging leaves, mow over the leaves to add nutrients and organic matter back to the lawn. Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 Sep. 2026 The other is beneath the large green leaves at the bottom of the plant, which, when lifted, show the bromeliad is dying off, Huffman said. Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026 Goodenow’s ruling leaves unresolved whether the ordinance is legal. Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 This lets the leaves decompose into rich organic matter that can benefit your garden beds. Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaves
Verb
  • 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
  • The former just had a kid in Oslo with his younger Norwegian girlfriend (Melina Akerman), who abandons them when Matteo decides to move back to Rome to spend more time with his domineering Italian mother (Angela Finocchiaro).
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • And earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June showed a slight pickup in hiring and quits (an indicator of employee confidence) while layoffs were essentially unchanged.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The band quits when the director releases a swarm of bees onto the set (the original clip featured dogs), only to be replaced by look-alikes.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Wayne picks Gregory up at a motel, in Mobile, Alabama, and hands him a briefcase containing, among other things, a gun.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The consultant reasons by filling a notebook with calculations, then hands you a one-sentence answer, and keeps the notebook.
    Adam Fish, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Parks and Rec says anyone who illegally dumps could face fines totaling $5,000 per piece of material.
    Brandon Goldner, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Using the same spoofing method as in the Silver attack, the attacker dumps Chrome's process memory and extracts the master key that protects the passkey's private key.
    Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Moore’s Mona Friedman is indeed a familiar figure, a shy and impressionable wife who quietly nods along at dinner, lets people cut in front of her at the store, and seems generally uninterested in sticking up for herself.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Home Rule Act of 1973 lets residents elect a mayor, a council and neighborhood commissioners.
    ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • And this vacation went how all my summertime vacations seem to go.
    Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Most of the organization — front office and coaches included — took vacations in June.
    Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • That generally means gaining permissions and following the law on matters like IP and export controls.
    Kate Rooney,Paige Tortorelli, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Excessive functionality, permissions and autonomy are core causes of agentic risk.
    Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Some departures, like that of British drinks maker Diageo two years ago, have been in the form of divestment to a local operator that continues the business.
    Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Fox News has managed through the departures of former primetime stars like Bill O’Reilly as well as Kelly and Carlson.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Leaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaves. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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