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

Officers responded to a call about shots fired a few blocks away from Beale Street and saw a person armed with a gun leaving, said Memphis police. — ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Are there concerns in the club over Hughes and his leaving, and the effect of that on the planning and way this summer transfer window has gone? — James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

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

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

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 Rubio’s absence isn’t leaving him with a blemish on his image. — Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2026

Bergvall won multiple player of the year awards in his first season in English football after leaving Sweden at only 18. — Jay Harris, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Jonah Bevin's adoptive parents did not attend a custody hearing after it was shut down, briefly leaving him as a ward of the state in the Caribbean nation. — Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2026

Government debt makes up more than 200% of its gross domestic product, leaving its finances highly sensitive to rising borrowing costs. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026

The researchers addressed this by filling only the hollow struts with foam, leaving the larger openings available for water to flow through. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026

The streetcar hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing into a building, leaving the wooden cabin a crumpled wreck. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Essayli said Southworth is accused of also targeting the family of the President’s personal attorney by publishing their home address and phone numbers and leaving threatening voicemails. — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026