leave
verb (1)
\ ˈlēv
\
\
left\ ˈleft
\;
leaving
\;
leaving
Definition of leave
(Entry 1 of 3)
b
: to cause to remain as a trace or aftereffect
oil leaves a stain the wound left an ugly scar
2a
: to cause or allow to be or remain in a specified condition
leave the door open his manner left me cold
b
: to fail to include or take along
left the notes at home the movie leaves a lot out
c
: to have as a remainder
4 from 7 leaves 3
d
: to permit to be or remain subject to another's action or control
just leave everything to me
e
: let
f
: to cause or allow to be or remain available
leave room for expansion left myself an out
3a
: to go away from : depart
leave the room
c
: to terminate association with : withdraw from
left school before graduation
4
: to put, deposit, or deliver before or in the process of departing
I left a package for you leave a message
leave alone
: to refrain from bothering, disturbing, or using
Leave him alone while he's doing his homework.
leave
nounDefinition of leave (Entry 2 of 3)
leave
verb (2)
leaved;
leaving
Definition of leave (Entry 3 of 3)
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Synonyms for leave
Synonyms: Noun
break, holiday [chiefly British], hols [British], recess, vacation
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Examples of leave in a Sentence
Noun
He took an unpaid leave from work. The soldiers were given a two-month leave for the holidays. He took a few months' leave to care for his sick mother. Our professor is on leave this semester. She is on leave from her law firm. a soldier on military leave I beg leave to differ with you, sir. He was found guilty but was granted leave to appeal against the verdict.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
This loss, however, left the coach and his team despondent, dulled by the team’s low level of energy throughout the match. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Three things we learned from Orlando City’s 3-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes," 3 Sep. 2019 Police were called to several stations after protesters jammed compartment doors to prevent trains from leaving. — Time Staff, Time, "Students Boycott Classes on the First Day of the School Year in Hong Kong's Latest Democracy Protest," 2 Sep. 2019 Also leaving the game early was senior tackle Walker Little, one of the premier linemen in the country. — Michelle Gardner, azcentral, "Pac-12 football power rankings: Utah takes top spot after win over BYU," 2 Sep. 2019 Pujols hit a ground-rule double to left, Trout scored, Goodwin to third. — BostonGlobe.com, "MLB boxscore: Red Sox 4, Angels 3," 2 Sep. 2019 The Texans cut former Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Matt Kalil, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans cut Matt Kalil, save up to $5.25 million," 1 Sep. 2019 Clues are emerging about the unexpected influence of gene flow from ancient hominins on modern human populations before the latter left Africa. — Wired, "Humans and Neanderthals Kept Breeding—and Breeding—for Ages," 1 Sep. 2019 Cox’s presence should help the Dolphins convert those tough short-yardage plays that have been problematic since Lousaka Polite left the franchise. — Omar Kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Kelly: Here’s a look at the Miami Dolphins’ highs and lows from training camp and preseason | Commentary," 1 Sep. 2019 Insurgent groups are continuing to negotiate with the U.S. and have demanded that all foreign forces leave the country. — Fox News, "Taliban launch 'massive attack' on northern Afghanistan city, government says," 1 Sep. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The new line is set to include three conditioners, one leave-in conditioner, one shampoo, two hair oils, a travel-size set, and wash day accessories including a micro-fiber hair towel, in-shower hairbrush, and a hair clip. — Jennifer Ford, Essence, "Tracee Ellis Ross Is Launching A New Hair Care Line," 3 Sep. 2019 There are rules for Allston Christmas, that special time of year when college students moving out of their apartments in the Boston neighborhood leave behind unwanted furniture, clothes, and appliances for the students moving in. — Maria Cramer, BostonGlobe.com, "It’s tradition: Students scrounging through leftovers on the street. But skip the mattresses," 1 Sep. 2019 Maryland later fired head coach DJ Durkin, who had been previously placed on leave, on October 31, 2018. — Jenna West, SI.com, "Maryland Players and More Pay Tribute to Jordan McNair After 79–0 Win," 31 Aug. 2019 An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer is on leave Friday in the wake of a video that appears to show him striking a 17-year-old student in the face at Shortridge High School. — Holly V. Hays, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis police officer on leave after video shows him appearing to strike Shortridge student," 30 Aug. 2019 The state also came sixth for best parental leave policies, and was ranked No. 8 for low birth weights among newborns. — Rex Crum, The Mercury News, "Where does California rank for having a baby in the U.S.?," 12 Aug. 2019 In other parts of the world, menstrual leave policies have emerged more on a company-by-company basis. — Katie Hunt, CNN, "Period pain linked to nearly 9 days of lost productivity a year," 27 June 2019 That's because for years, U.S. Soccer treated pregnancy as a career-ending injury and didn't develop a maternity-leave policy, under pressure from players, until contentious contract talks in 1999. — Liz Clarke, Anchorage Daily News, "U.S. women’s soccer team is fighting two battles — for a World Cup title, and for equality," 11 June 2019 The April study was based not only on the wage gap, but other factors like unemployment, percentage of female business owners and parental leave policies. — Anna Bauman, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit ranked top place for women in the workplace, new study shows," 4 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'leave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.