Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⏸️ To stop 🚫 To exclude 🧥 To not wear
to leave off

to leave off

1 4.5
Stop wearing a piece of clothing, for example a tie
  • phrasal verb
  • /liːv ɔf/
  • Informal
translation icon : quitarse
  • As the weather got warmer, he chose to leave off his heavy jacket.

Examples

  • Now if you'd asked my advice, I'd have said, 'Leave off at seven'—but it's too late now.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • When it started to rain, they had to leave off their hats for a while.

  • It is time to for me to leave off resting my arms on the cold stone of this bridge...

  • If you've been promoted to full professor, you can leave off all the committee work and good course evaluations that got you there.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Making the straps more functional so he could leave off that netting would have been a better idea.

    Blog text (4)

  • After the event, she decided to leave off the uncomfortable shoes and put on her sneakers.

Synonyms

to take off
vsto leave off
∞ 1.5

To remove clothes or something from your body

stop wearing or using it rather than a single removal
to slip off
vsto leave off
11 2.8

To take off quickly and easily, especially clothes or small items

stop wearing or using it without focusing on speed
to strip off
vsto leave off
  • NSFW
9 3.7

To remove clothes or a cover completely and quickly

stop wearing or using it without implying full or rapid removal
to cast off
vsto leave off
3 4.8

To get rid of something you do not want or need

stop wearing or using it but not necessarily discard it

Antonyms

to put on
54 3.0

To start music or a recording so people can hear it

How Worn

to keep on
306 1.4
to leave on
25 2.3
to leave off
  • Informal
1 4.5
to take off
∞ 1.5

Surface Forms

leave off infinitive
leaving off present participle
leaves off third person singular
left off past
left off past participle

Morphology

leave + off

The sense 'to stop using or wearing' is directly inferable from combining 'leave' (to cause something to be in a state) with 'off' (indicating removal or cessation). This verb+particle composition parallels transparent patterns like 'take off' and 'leave off' in context, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely understand the intended meaning.

Etymology

Leave off can also mean to stop wearing an item of clothing; picture taking off a tie and leaving it off for the evening. That's why to leave off your coat or tie means 'to stop wearing' it.