Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to leave it be

to leave it be

10 5.1
To let something stay as it is without changing it
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: dejarlo así
  • Sometimes, it's better to just leave it be and not worry about small details.
  • leave it be!" Janine said

tuck it in and just leave it be because they'll parse every word. They'll they'll try and put you on trial and then by definition affect your client. And so

Examples

Synonyms

to leave
vsto leave it be
∞ 1.6

To cause a feeling or result to remain after an event

is a more specific phrase about refraining from interference in situations
to leave alone
vsto leave it be
∞ 2.3

To avoid touching and disturbing a person, animal or object

focuses on noninterference rather than taking action to change things
to let it go
vsto leave it be
280 3.5

To choose not to react to something annoying

is about not interfering with things rather than only avoiding emotional reaction
to let it be
vsto leave it be
49 4.1

Accept a situation without trying to change it

is about not interfering with things rather than actively altering them
to leave it at that
vsto leave it be
46 5.3

To stop talking about an issue and accept it as it is

is about not changing things, not just ending a discussion
to let it ride
vsto leave it be
11 7.0

Allow a situation to continue without changing it

is about refraining from interference to keep the situation unchanged
to let it alone
vsto leave it be
3 3.0

Choose not to touch or change something

is about refraining from interference and keeping things as they are

Antonyms

to change
∞ 1.0

To make something or someone different

to interfere
449 3.5

To get involved in a situation and make things not work as they should

How Interfering

to intervene
228 5.0
to meddle
68 5.7
to change
∞ 1.0
to adjust
360 2.7
to leave it be
  • Informal
10 5.1
to leave alone
∞ 2.3

Surface Forms

leave it be infinitive
leaving it be present participle
leaves it be third person singular
left it be past
left it be past participle

Morphology

leave + it + be

The meaning 'to refrain from interfering' is directly derivable by combining 'leave' (to cause something to remain), 'it' (the object), and 'be' (to remain/exist), yielding the predictable sense 'leave it alone' or 'let it be'. This is a common, compositional English construction with clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Leave it be comes from a simple image: to leave something alone and let it be where it is. Imagine you see a small scratch and choose not to touch it—this picture helps explain why the phrase means 'don't change or interfere'.