1
as in to abandon
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
as in to hand
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to dump
to end a usually intimate relationship with
is there ever a good way to leave a lover?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to let
to give permission to
aw, leave him come
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in permission
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
the editor gave the reporters leave to follow up on their initial investigation of the senator's fund-raising practices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in departure
the act of leaving a place
the party was clearly dying down, and it was time to take our leave
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of leave
Stixx Mathews, Essence, 11 Feb. 2025
Tae-hwan didn’t seem to care about her or left her behind when ice skating and didn’t seem interested in her conversations.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2025
Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 9 Feb. 2025
Nichols' decision to block the move to place the employees on leave came hours after workers were seen removing the signage at the USAID headquarters in downtown Washington.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for leave 
Verb
Many women took this aesthetic a step further, showcasing their natural textures, with their curls and coils either elegantly crowned with cowboy hats or left freely flowing in the winter breeze.
—Stixx Mathews, Essence, 11 Feb. 2025
Tae-hwan didn’t seem to care about her or left her behind when ice skating and didn’t seem interested in her conversations.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
The agency put many people who could help process those payments on leave.
—Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 9 Feb. 2025
Nichols' decision to block the move to place the employees on leave came hours after workers were seen removing the signage at the USAID headquarters in downtown Washington.
—Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for leave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave
Verb
-
They were allegedly left abandoned in an apartment when their family were evicted.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2025
-
This idea must be fought, stopped, and abandoned completely!—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Suzanne has followed her lead, has also bequeathed her body to the Faculté de Médecine.—
Hervé Guibert,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Nov. 2024
-
Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s The Friend follows a New York writer and teacher as her life is thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
17 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
White nurses were afraid of the disease, quit, and sought employment elsewhere rather than risk infection.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
8 Feb. 2025
-
But after having the same tired argument over and over again with no improvements to show for it, Amy decided to call it quits with a text.—
Julia Ries,
SELF,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
South Africa's British rulers handed most farmland to whites.—
Reuters,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Israel handed it to the more moderate Palestinian Authority in 2005, but it was expelled two years later by Hamas, which has courted war with Israel ever since.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
That rain dumped on soil already saturated from earlier rains and brought concerns that creeks and streams could flood and that trees could topple.—
Rick Hurd,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Instead of putting frozen meals or steam-in-bag vegetables straight into the microwave, dump into a ceramic or glass bowl and cover with a silicone microwave cover.—
Carolyn L. Todd,
SELF,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The bar found a Dutch butcher who can slice the steak the right way, and developed its own Whiz when British food codes wouldn’t let the real(?) stuff in.—
Ali Watkins,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Lafrenière, at the end of a 1:14 shift — longer than normal but not exactly taxing — coasted and let Rakell get a step on him.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
An illustrious modeling career means Elsesser is often jet-setting the globe, and as a result, her time at home has become her vacation time.—
Mayer Rus,
Architectural Digest,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Kick off your vacation or say goodbye to a wonderful trip in style by making dinner reservations at Old Florida Fish House.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Harvard-Westlake paid more than $40 million for the land in 2021, then had to go through years of community meetings while getting permits and receiving permission from the city to build.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
-
The big picture: The early days of Trump's second administration — as Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) crew execute a hostile takeover of the federal government's digital infrastructure — are giving Washington a crash course in the importance of system permissions.—
Richard Collings,
Axios,
4 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Leave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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