to leave
- verb
- /liːv/
- If you want to leave something behind.
- leave behind
- leave alone
- leave children
And then all of a sudden he left her for that friend.
- And then all of a sudden he left her for that friend.
- The sister ignored her and left the kids.
- Yeah, you're cool, nigga, but don't leave your boots around me.
- I mean, just left me flapping in the wind.
- Betrayed just sort of just left hung out to dry.
- It's titled My boyfriend of one year left me because I have periods.
- This guy left me for dead and lied about it.
- And then he just left me in it, like left me.
- So then I was kind of left with without him.
- So once my career starts, my dad leave me and go to prison.
Examples
-
But then he realizes that he left his stuffed animal back in the grass somewhere.
Academic text (2011) -
After the party, he had to leave his empty bottles behind.
-
Another bedroom again, they just left a lot of stuff behind.
-
So that left me in an awful mess.
-
People lost their union jobs, left behind a polluted property.
-
- I really don't want to leave you.
-
I don't want to be left out of it.
-
Cats, dogs and other companions were left behind to fend for themselves.
-
She decided to leave her old job and pursue her dream career.
-
The hiker left his backpack at the campsite before heading out to explore.
Synonyms
Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care
Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore
To go away from a place without taking someone or something with you
To stop taking part in a place or activity
To abandon a person, plan, or thing suddenly
To leave someone who needs your help
To leave without telling anyone to avoid a duty or responsibility
To leave a place and not return
To end a connection with a person, group, or idea
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Try every possible way and search everywhere to achieve a goal
- Literature
Behave in a very foolish way without thinking clearly
Not showing all details so people can think about the missing parts
- Informal
A warning that bad behavior on a work trip can lead to punishment at work when you return
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
Stop doing something for a short time, for example at a point in a book
- Literature
Stop being a leader with official power, for example a government official or company boss
- Specialized
To stop growing crops on a field for a time to let the soil get better
Compounds
- Formal
A period when someone is officially allowed to be away from work or school
Time away from work to care for family members after a birth, adoption, or when they are ill
- Formal
Time away from work given so a worker can deal with a serious family illness or death
- Formal
A final time away from duty taken before leaving the military while still officially in service
- Archaic
A permit that lets a prisoner live and work outside prison under rules
How Intentional
Surface Forms
Etymology
Leave meaning to abandon or forget something comes from Old English lǣfan, which meant 'to let remain'; that is why to leave your phone somewhere is to let it stay there and not take it with you, and the past form left shows the same idea.