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to leave in awe

to leave in awe

1 4.4
To make someone feel very amazed and full of admiration
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : dejar asombrado
  • The breathtaking view from the mountain peak left us all in awe.
  • leave the audience in awe

The thought that you could become so good at something that you leave people in awe.

Examples

  • His sequels to the famous works were bound to be disappointments, giving you answers when you would have preferred to be left in awe.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Incredible, it left me in awe.

    Blog text (22)
  • Sunsets: The colors that a sunset can produce still leave me in awe each time I see a new one.

    Blog text (34)
  • The photography exhibition exceeds my expectations and leaves me in awe of this art.

    Blog text (23)
  • The entire world was left in complete awe after Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre brought out an extremely lifelike Tupac hologram during their performance at the 2012 Coachella festival.

    Blog text (12)
  • Her performance was so impressive that it left the audience in awe.

  • The magician's incredible tricks never failed to leave the children in awe.

Synonyms

to amaze
vsto leave in awe
294 1.0

To surprise someone very much

emphasizes admiration or amazement as the main reaction
to blow your mind
vsto leave in awe
  • Informal
50 6.2

To surprise someone a lot and make them feel excited

focuses on admiration or amazement rather than only excitement
to astound
vsto leave in awe
41 4.2

To surprise someone very much and make them feel amazed

leans more toward causing admiration than pure shock
to wow
vsto leave in awe
  • Informal
37 3.6

To make someone feel very surprised and pleased

is similar but more neutral and not necessarily informal
to take one's breath away
vsto leave in awe
  • Informal
33 4.1

Make someone feel very surprised and unable to speak

causes strong admiration or amazement without requiring silence
to awe
vsto leave in awe
24 4.1

To fill someone with a feeling of respect and wonder, sometimes with fear, often caused by something impressive or beautiful

is focused on admiration and amazement rather than fear
to astonish
vsto leave in awe
13 3.5

To surprise someone very much

creates lasting admiration or amazement rather than only a sudden shock
to impress someone
vsto leave in awe
3 2.6

To make someone admire or respect you

aims for stronger amazement or wonder rather than general respect
to transfix
vsto leave in awe
1 7.6

Cause someone to stand still because they feel amazed or scared

focuses on causing admiration or amazement without causing motionless stillness
to make someone's jaw drop
vsto leave in awe
  • Informal
4.4

To surprise someone very much

is about creating admiration or amazement beyond a visible reaction

Antonyms

14 4.0

Not thinking something is good or interesting

How Impressed

to astound
41 4.2
to leave in awe
1 4.4
to astonish
13 3.5
to impress
457 2.8
to surprise
1.0

Surface Forms

leave in awe infinitive
left in awe past participle
leaving in awe present participle
leaves in awe third person singular

Morphology

leave + in + awe

The meaning 'to cause someone to feel great admiration' is transparently composed from 'leave' (to cause or result in a state) + 'in' + 'awe' (an emotional state). The construction 'leave someone in [emotion]' is a productive, common pattern in English (and parallels exist in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Leave in awe paints a picture of someone left standing, in the feeling of awe, quietly amazed by what they have seen. So it means 'to cause great admiration or amazement'.