leave

verb (used with object)

to go out of or away from, as a place: to leave the house.

to depart from permanently; quit: to leave a job.

to let remain or have remaining behind after going, disappearing, ceasing, etc.: I left my wallet home. The wound left a scar.

to allow to remain in the same place, condition, etc.: Is there any coffee left?

to let stay or be as specified: to leave a door unlocked.

to let (a person or animal) remain in a position to do something without interference: We left him to his work.

to let (a thing) remain for action or decision: We left the details to the lawyer.

to give in charge; deposit; entrust: Leave the package with the receptionist. I left my name and phone number.

to stop; cease; give up: He left music to study law.

10.

to disregard; neglect: We will leave this for the moment and concentrate on the major problem.

11.

to give for use after one's death or departure: to leave all one's money to charity.

12.

to have remaining after death: He leaves a wife and three children.

13.

to have as a remainder after subtraction: 2 from 4 leaves 2.

14.

Nonstandard. let¹ ( defs 1, 2, 6 ).

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verb (used without object)

15.

to go away, depart, or set out: We leave for Europe tomorrow.

00:10

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to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

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Verb phrases

16.

leave alone. alone ( def 7 ).

17.

leave off,

to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.

to stop using or wearing: It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.

to omit: to leave a name off a list.

18.

leave out, to omit; exclude: She left out an important detail in her account.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English leven, Old English lǣfan (causative formation from base of lāf remainder; see lave²); cognate with Old High German leiban (compare German bleiben to remain), Old Norse leifa, Gothic -laibjan

Related forms

leav·er, noun

Synonyms
1, 2. abandon, forsake, desert; relinquish. 9. forbear, renounce. 10. ignore, forget. 11. bequeath, will; devise, transmit.

Antonyms
1, 2. join.

Usage note
Leave is interchangeable with let when followed by alone with the sense “to refrain from annoying or interfering with”: Leave (or Let) her alone and she will solve the problem easily. When he was left (or let) alone without interruptions, the boy quickly assembled the apparatus. The use of leave alone for let alone in the sense “not to mention” is nonstandard: There wasn't any standing room, let (not leave) alone a seat, so I missed the performance.
Other substitutions of leave for let are generally regarded as nonstandard: Let (not Leave) us sit down and talk this over. Let (not Leave) her do it her own way. The police wouldn't let (not leave) us cross the barriers. See also let¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

permission to do something: to beg leave to go elsewhere.

permission to be absent, as from work or military duty: The firm offers a maternity leave as part of its benefit program.

the time this permission lasts: 30 days' leave.

a parting; departure; farewell: He took his leave before the formal ceremonies began. We took leave of them after dinner.

Metallurgy, draft ( def 23 ).

Bowling. the pin or pins in upright position after the bowl of the first ball.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English leve, Old English lēaf; akin to believe, furlough, lief

Synonyms
1–3. liberty. 2, 3. vacation, furlough.

verb (used without object), leaved, leav·ing.

to put forth leaves; leaf.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English leven, derivative of lef leaf

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To leave

Collins

World English Dictionary

leave¹ (liːv)

—vb , leaves, leaving, left
1.	(also intr) to go or depart (from a person or place)
2.	to cause to remain behind, often by mistake, in a place: he often leaves his keys in his coat
3.	to cause to be or remain in a specified state: paying the bill left him penniless
4.	to renounce or abandon: to leave a political movement
5.	to refrain from consuming or doing something: the things we have left undone
6.	to result in; cause: childhood problems often leave emotional scars
7.	to allow to be or remain subject to another person or thing: leave the past to look after itself
8.	to entrust or commit: leave the shopping to her
9.	to submit in place of one's personal appearance: will you leave your name and address?
10.	to pass in a specified direction: flying out of the country, we left the cliffs on our left
11.	to be survived by (members of one's family): he leaves a wife and two children
12.	to bequeath or devise: he left his investments to his children
13.	(tr) to have as a remainder: 37 -- 14 leaves 23
14.	not standard to permit; let
15.	informal leave be to leave undisturbed
16.	not standard leave go, leave hold of to stop holding
17.	informal leave it at that to take a matter no further
18.	leave much to be desired to be very unsatisfactory
19.	leave someone alone
	a. See let Also: let alone
	b. to permit to stay or be alone
20.	leave someone to himself not to control or direct someone

[Old English lǣfan; related to belīfan to be left as a remainder]

'leaver¹

—n

leave² (liːv)

—n
1.	permission to do something: he was granted leave to speak
2.	by your leave, with your leave with your permission
3.	permission to be absent, as from a place of work or duty: leave of absence
4.	the duration of such absence: ten days' leave
5.	a farewell or departure (esp in the phrase take (one's) leave)
6.	on leave officially excused from work or duty
7.	take leave to say farewell (to)
8.	take leave of one's senses to go mad or become irrational

[Old English lēaf; related to alӯfan to permit, Middle High German loube permission]

leave³ (liːv)

—vb , leaves, leaving, leaved
	(intr) to produce or grow leaves

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

leave

O.E. læfan "to let remain, remain, bequeath," from P.Gmc. *laibijan (cf. O.Fris. leva "to leave," O.S. farlebid "left over"), causative of *liban "remain," (cf. O.E. belifan, Ger. bleiben, Goth. bileiban "to remain"), from root *laf- "remnant, what remains" (see life,

live), from PIE *lip-/*leip-. The Gmc. root has only the sense "remain, continue," which also is in Gk. lipares "persevering, importunate." But this usually is regarded as a development from the primary PIE sense of "adhere, be sticky" (cf. Lith. lipti, O.C.S. lipet "to adhere," Gk. lipos "grease," Skt. rip-/lip- "to smear, adhere to." Seemingly contradictory meaning of "depart" (early 13c.) comes from notion of "to leave behind" (as in to leave the earth "to die;" to leave the field "retreat").

leave

"permission," O.E. leafe, dat./acc. of leaf "permission," from W.Gmc. *lauba, cognate with O.E. lief "dear," the original idea being "approval resulting from pleasure." See also love, believe. In military sense, it is attested from 1771.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

leave

In addition to the idioms beginning with leave, also see absent without leave; (leave) high and dry; (leave) out in the cold; take it or leave it; take leave of; take one's leave. Also see under let.