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leave off

 - 5 dictionary results

leave

1  [leev] verb, left, leav⋅ing.
Use leave off in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to go out of or away from, as a place: to leave the house.
2. to depart from permanently; quit: to leave a job.
3. to let remain or have remaining behind after going, disappearing, ceasing, etc.: I left my wallet home. The wound left a scar.
4. to allow to remain in the same place, condition, etc.: Is there any coffee left?
5. to let stay or be as specified: to leave a door unlocked.
6. to let (a person or animal) remain in a position to do something without interference: We left him to his work.
7. to let (a thing) remain for action or decision: We left the details to the lawyer.
8. to give in charge; deposit; entrust: Leave the package with the receptionist. I left my name and phone number.
9. 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. let 1 (defs. 1, 2, 6).
–verb (used without object)
15. to go away, depart, or set out: We leave for Europe tomorrow.
—Verb phrases
16. leave alone. alone (def. 7).
17. leave off,
a. to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.
b. to stop using or wearing: It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.
c. 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:
bef. 900; ME leven, OE lǣfan (causative formation from base of lāf remainder; see lave 2 ); c. OHG leiban (cf. G bleiben to remain), ON leifa, Goth -laibjan

Related forms:
leaver, 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 let 1 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To leave off
leave 1   (lēv)   
v.   left (lěft), leav·ing, leaves

v.   tr.

  1. To go out of or away from: not allowed to leave the room.

    1. To go without taking or removing: left my book on the bus.

    2. To omit or exclude: left out the funniest part of the story.

    3. To have remaining after death: left a young son.

    4. To bequeath: left her money to charity.

    5. To abandon or forsake: leave home; left her husband.

    6. To remove oneself from association with or participation in: left the navy for civilian life.

    7. To give or deposit, as for use or information, upon one's departure or in one's absence: He left a note for you. Leave your name and address.

    8. To cause or permit to be or remain: left myself plenty of time.

  3. To have as a result, consequence, or remainder: The car left a trail of exhaust fumes. Two from eight leaves six.

  4. To cause or allow to be or remain in a specified state: left the lights on.

    1. To have remaining after death: left a young son.

    2. To bequeath: left her money to charity.

    3. To abandon or forsake: leave home; left her husband.

    4. To remove oneself from association with or participation in: left the navy for civilian life.

    5. To give or deposit, as for use or information, upon one's departure or in one's absence: He left a note for you. Leave your name and address.

    6. To cause or permit to be or remain: left myself plenty of time.

  6. To give over to another to control or act on: Leave all the details to us.

    1. To abandon or forsake: leave home; left her husband.

    2. To remove oneself from association with or participation in: left the navy for civilian life.

    3. To give or deposit, as for use or information, upon one's departure or in one's absence: He left a note for you. Leave your name and address.

    4. To cause or permit to be or remain: left myself plenty of time.

    1. To give or deposit, as for use or information, upon one's departure or in one's absence: He left a note for you. Leave your name and address.

    2. To cause or permit to be or remain: left myself plenty of time.

  9. Nonstandard To allow or permit; let.

v.   intr.
To set out or depart; go: When can you leave?
Phrasal Verbs:
leave /let alone
To refrain from disturbing or interfering.
leave off

  1. To stop; cease.

  2. To stop doing or using.

Phrasal Verb(s):
leave /let aloneTo refrain from disturbing or interfering.
leave off

  1. To stop; cease.

  2. To stop doing or using.


Idiom(s):
leave no stone unturnedTo make every possible effort.

[Middle English leaven, from Old English lǣfan; see leip- in Indo-European roots.]
leav'er n.
Usage Note: Leave alone is an acceptable substitute for let alone in the sense "to refrain from disturbing or interfering." A majority of the Usage Panel in an earlier survey approved the following examples: Leave him alone and he will produce. Left alone, he was quite productive. Those who did not accept these examples generally felt that leave alone should mean simply "to depart from someone who remains in solitude": They were left alone in the wilderness. · In formal writing leave is not an acceptable substitute for let in the sense "to allow or permit." Thus in the following examples, only let can be used: Let me be. Let him go. Let us not quarrel. Let it lie.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

leave  (v.)
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" (1225) comes from notion of "to leave behind" (as in to leave the earth "to die;" to leave the field "retreat").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: leave
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: left; leav·ing
: BEQUEATH, DEVISE
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

leave off

  1. Stop, cease; also, stop doing or using. For example, Mother told the children to leave off running around the house, or Please use a bookmark to show where you left off reading. [c. 1400]

  2. leave something off. Omit, as in We found she had left off our names.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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