leave
/ˈliːv/ verb, noun
Forms leaves leaving left leavest leftest leaveth leaved
- verb (transitive) To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely. “I left my car at home and took a bus to work.”
- verb (transitive or intransitive, copulative) To cause, to result in. “The lightning left her dazzled for several minutes.”
- verb (transitive) To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver, with a sense of withdrawing oneself. “Leave your hat in the hall.”
- verb (transitive) To let be or do without interference. “I left him to his reflections.”
- verb (transitive) To depart from; to end one's connection or affiliation with. “His bow and arrow never leaves him.”
- verb (transitive) To end one's membership in (a group); to terminate one's affiliation with (an organization); to stop participating in (a project). “I left the band.”
- verb (euphemistic, transitive) To die (the object denotes those affected by the death).
- verb (intransitive) To depart; to go away from a certain place or state. “I think you'd better leave.”
- noun (cricket) The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball. “He made 45 leaves in his innings of 64.”
- noun (billiards) The arrangement of balls in play that remains after a shot is made (which determines whether the next shooter — who may be either the same player, or an opponent — has good options, or only poor ones).
- noun (Scrabble) The tiles remaining on a player's rack after his or her turn. “I didn't score much, but LING was a good leave.”
- noun Permission to be absent; time away from one's work. “I've just been given three weeks' leave by my boss — I don't think I still have some leave owing to me.”
- noun (dated or law) Permission. “Might I beg leave to accompany you?”
- noun (dated) Farewell, departure. “I took my leave of the gentleman without a backward glance.”
- verb (transitive) To give leave to; allow; permit; let; grant.
- verb (intransitive, rare) To produce leaves or foliage.
- verb (obsolete) To raise; to levy.
Synonyms
egress absent exit make tracks set forth 23 skidoo beat it bug off remove bugger off book bounce buzz off chuck cut one's stick dash depart duck out get away get out leave of absence farewell leave-taking parting go forth go away leave alone leave behind go out allow for
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English leven, from Old English lǣfan (“to leave”), from Proto-West Germanic *laibijan, from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to let stay, leave”), causative of *lībaną (“to stay, remain”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick; fat”).
Cognate with Old Frisian lēva (“to leave”), dialectal Dutch loven (“to have left over, save, keep”), Old Saxon lēvian, Old High German leiban (“to leave”), Old Norse leifa (“to leave over”) (whence Icelandic leifa (“to leave food uneaten”), Swedish leva (“to leave”)), lifna (“to be left”) (whence Danish levne). More at lave, belive.
The noun is attested since the 19th century, with earliest references to billiards.
From Middle English leve, from Old English lēaf (“permission, privilege”), from Proto-Germanic *laubō, *laubą (“permission, privilege, favour, worth”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, hold dear”). Cognate with obsolete German Laube (“permission”), Swedish lov (“permission”), Icelandic leyfi (“permission”). Related to Dutch verlof, German Urlaub, Erlaubnis, Verlaub. See also love.
From Middle English leven, from Old English līefan (“to allow, grant, concede; believe, trust, confide in”), from Proto-West Germanic *laubijan, from Proto-Germanic *laubijaną (“to allow, praise”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ- (“to love, hold dear”). Cognate with German erlauben (“to allow”), German glauben (“to believe”), Icelandic leyfa (“to allow”).
From Middle English leven, from lef (“leaf”). More at leaf.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To send out leaves; to leaf; --often with out. G. Fletcher.
- verb To raise; to levy. [Obs.]
- noun Liberty granted by which restraint or illegality is removed; permission; allowance; license.
- noun The act of leaving or departing; a formal parting; a leaving; farewell; adieu; --used chiefly in the phrase, to take leave, i. e., literally, to take permission to go. A double blessing is a'double grace; Occasion smiles upon a second leave. Shak.
Etymology [See Levy.]
Etymology [OE. leve, leave, AS. leáf; akin to leóf pleasing, dear, E. lief, D. oorlof leave, G. arlaub, and erlauben to permit, Icel. leyfi. Lief.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “leave”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details