Synonyms of leaving

leaving 1 of 3

adjective

as in departing

Related Words

• departing
• concluding
• final
• closing
• last
• parting
• farewell
• ultimate
• valedictory

leaving

2 of 3

noun

as in retirement

Related Words

• departing
• retirement
• leave
• departure
• exiting
• exit
• quitting
• abdication
• resignation
• stepping down
• surrender
• relinquishment
• renouncement

Dissimilar Words

• acceptance
• adoption
• embrace
• espousal
• embracement

leaving

3 of 3

verb

present participle of leave

1

as in abandoning

to cause to remain behind

you can leave your lunch in the refrigerator while we're outside

starry-eyed lovers who promise never to leave one another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abandoning
• deserting
• dumping
• stranding
• quitting
• forsaking
• ignoring
• escaping
• forgetting
• vacating
• discarding
• marooning
• ditching
• walking away from
• relinquishing
• flinging
• shedding
• scrapping
• rejecting
• walking out on
• sacrificing
• throwing away
• jettisoning
• delivering
• surrendering
• yielding
• withdrawing (from)
• retreating (from)
• renouncing
• separating (from)
• throwing out
• taking off (from)
• cutting off
• neglecting
• giving up
• junking
• repudiating
• disregarding
• handing over
• distancing
• shucking (off)
• disowning
• abjuring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• having
• keeping
• holding
• retaining
• owning
• possessing
• reserving
• reclaiming
• withholding
• saving
• harboring
• rescuing
• redeeming

2

as in bequeathing

to give by means of a will

I'm going to leave all of my possessions to my children

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bequeathing
• willing
• passing (down)
• deeding
• devising
• handing down
• handing on

3

as in quitting

to give up (a job or office)

he left his job in the city and moved out into the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

• quitting
• abandoning
• retiring (from)
• vacating
• giving notice
• resigning (from)
• bagging
• chucking
• stepping down (from)
• stepping aside (from)
• throwing up
• dropping out (of)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• staying (at)
• hiring (out or on)

4

as in handing

to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another

why don't you leave your watch with me while you swim?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• handing
• transferring
• giving
• entrusting
• delivering
• passing
• delegating
• relinquishing
• transmitting
• recommending
• committing
• trusting
• commending
• consigning
• confiding
• granting
• loaning
• reposing
• turning over
• handing over
• submitting
• assigning
• vesting
• dividing
• bequeathing
• lending
• giving over
• distributing
• conferring
• dispersing
• dispensing
• supplying
• dealing (out)
• surrendering
• furnishing
• yielding
• releasing
• willing
• turning in
• advancing
• handing in
• handing down
• handing on
• retransferring
• recommitting
• redelivering
• retransmitting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• keeping
• holding
• retaining
• reserving
• receiving
• owning
• possessing
• withholding
• taking
• accepting
• occupying
• holding back
• detaining
• taking in
• taking over

5

as in dumping

to end a usually intimate relationship with

is there ever a good way to leave a lover?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dumping
• ditching
• abandoning
• cutting
• breaking off (with)
• jilting
• blowing off
• deserting
• kissing off
• kissing good-bye
• snubbing
• forsaking
• slighting
• brushing (aside or off)
• marooning
• quitting
• cold-shouldering
• high-hatting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• taking
• hooking up (with)
• befriending
• latching (on or onto)

6

as in letting

to give permission to

aw, leave him come

Synonyms & Similar Words

• letting
• allowing
• permitting
• authorizing
• approving
• endorsing
• empowering
• licensing
• sanctioning
• commissioning
• liberating
• freeing
• releasing
• indulging
• catering (to)
• giving in (to)
• humoring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prohibiting
• forbidding
• preventing
• enjoining
• discouraging
• blocking
• inhibiting
• barring
• obstructing
• curbing
• deterring
• impeding
• constraining
• holding back
• frustrating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of leaving

Noun

This is because a senior leader's exit, whether by choice or not, affects the business far more than one employee leaving. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The signing of Anan Khalaili from Union Saint-Gilloise has opened the door for the possibility of the 30-year-old leaving. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Why leaving room for changes matters Weather, closures and travel delays can rewrite an itinerary overnight. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 3 Aug. 2026

There have been other senior exec exits, with All3 COO Sara Geater and Group Director of Corporate Development Steven Brown leaving. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 21 July 2026

The students, who were taking their secondary school leaving examinations when they were attacked and abducted, are between 15 and 18 years old. — ABC News, 30 June 2026

News of their leaving sent Google’s shares tumbling more than 5% on Monday. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 June 2026

Investigators never found footage of her leaving, according to the outlets, and her body has not been recovered. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

Verb

But that process has proven slippery for more than 250 communities that received no bids for the 2026-27 season, leaving them to choose whether to stay with the state and wait for emergency bids or find alternative sources. — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026

Amenities and experiences The Rockaway Hotel makes a pretty convincing case for never leaving the property. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026

Royce Moser is then accused of driving the Jeep, as his mother followed along in another vehicle, to a parking lot in California Borough and leaving it there. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Social media put the storm’s effects on display, with videos of floodwaters leaving cars stranded on highways, stormwater runoff erupting onto city streets and waterfalls cascading onto the subway tracks at Penn Station. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026

Then on August 10, a large container ship paid a staggering $4 million to fast-track its trip — leaving others, either unwilling or unable to shell out that kind of sum, in maritime limbo. — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Oprah Winfrey asked Harry to summarize his reasons for leaving Britain in a 2021 interview that was broadcast around the world. — ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026

Jones recalled Reales Dominguez leaving Castlemont with huge aspirations, trying to make his family proud. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026

While Jordan wore the iconic Air Jordan 11 during the 1996 NBA Finals, Pippen was laced up in the equally legendary Air More Uptempo, both leaving a storied footwear legacy. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026