Meaning & use
leave no doubt
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Meaning
phraseidiom
To make something completely clear, so that nobody can reasonably question or misunderstand it.
Grammar: Takes a subject that causes clarity: her answer left no doubt about her feelings.
Patterns
- leave no doubt about something
- leave no doubt that something is true
Her speech left no doubt that she would run again.
The results leave no doubt about the medicine's success.
He wanted to leave no doubt about who was in charge.
Word forms
| third person singular | leaves no doubt |
|---|---|
| past tense | left no doubt |
| -ing form | leaving no doubt |
Common combinations
- leave no doubt about
- The evidence leaves no doubt about what happened.
- leave no doubt that
- His smile left no doubt that he was happy.
- leave absolutely no doubt
- The manager left absolutely no doubt about the rules.
- leave little doubt
- The data leave little doubt that prices will rise.
Synonyms and how they differ
- make clear
- Make clear is more neutral and general, while leave no doubt is stronger and suggests certainty.
- prove
- Prove usually suggests evidence or logic, while leave no doubt can describe words or behavior too.
- settle
- Settle suggests ending an argument or question, while leave no doubt focuses on clarity.
Word family
- doubt noun/verb
- a feeling of uncertainty
- doubtful adjective
- uncertain or unlikely
- undoubtedly adverb
- without any doubt
Commonly confused: leave no doubt or beyond doubt?
leave no doubt vs beyond doubt
Beyond doubt describes a fact as certain, while leave no doubt describes the thing that makes it clear.
Practice
Choose the best ending: The scientist's results left no doubt ___ the theory was correct.
Choose one answer.
Before a full clause, 'leave no doubt' takes 'that' (or 'about' with a noun). 'Of' does not introduce a clause.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leave no doubt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.