Meaning & use

leave

verb·Everyday

To go away from a place or person, or to cause something to remain behind.

See it in a sentence

She had to leave the party early to catch the last train home.

He left his umbrella at the office and had to walk home in the rain.

A note on using this word

Leave can mean to depart from a place, or to allow something to remain, as in 'leave the door open.'

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. noun

Official permission to be absent from work or duty, or the period of such absence.

She took two weeks of leave after the birth of her son.

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