leave1

[leev] /liv/
verb (used with object), left, leaving.
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. let1 (defs 1, 2, 6).
verb (used without object), left, leaving.
15.
to go away, depart, or set out:
We leave for Europe tomorrow.
Verb phrases
16.
leave alone. alone (def 7).
17.
leave off,
  1. to desist from; cease; stop; abandon.
  2. to stop using or wearing:
    It had stopped raining, so we left off our coats.
  3. 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
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 let1.
British Dictionary definitions for leave out

leave out

verb (transitive, adverb)
1.
to cause to remain in the open: you can leave your car out tonight
2.
to omit or exclude

leave1

/liːv/
verb (mainly transitive) leaves, leaving, left
1.
(also intransitive) 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.
(transitive) 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
  1. Also let alone See let1 (sense 7)
  2. to permit to stay or be alone
20.
leave someone to himself, not to control or direct someone
See also leave behind, leave off, leave out
Derived Forms
leaver, noun
Word Origin
Old English lǣfan; related to belīfan to be left as a remainder

leave2

/liːv/
noun
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
Word Origin
Old English lēaf; related to alӯfan to permit, Middle High German loube permission

leave3

/liːv/
verb leaves, leaving, leaved
1.
(intransitive) to produce or grow leaves
Word Origin and History for leave out

leave

v.

Old English læfan "to let remain; remain; have left; bequeath," from Proto-Germanic *laibijan (cf. Old Frisian leva "to leave," Old Saxon farlebid "left over"), causative of *liban "remain," (cf. Old English belifan, German bleiben, Gothic bileiban "to remain"), from root *laf- "remnant, what remains," from PIE *leip- "to stick, adhere;" also "fat."

The Germanic root has only the sense "remain, continue," which also is in Greek lipares "persevering, importunate." But this usually is regarded as a development from the primary PIE sense of "adhere, be sticky" (cf. Lithuanian lipti, Old Church Slavonic lipet "to adhere," Greek lipos "grease," Sanskrit 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").

n.

"permission," Old English leafe "leave, permission, license," dative and accusative of leaf "permission," from West Germanic *lauba (cf. Old Norse leyfi "permission," Old Saxon orlof, Old Frisian orlof, German Urlaub "leave of absence"), from PIE *leubh- "to care, desire, love, approve" (see love (n.)). Cognate with Old English lief "dear," the original idea being "approval resulting from pleasure." Cf. love, believe. In military sense, it is attested from 1771.

Slang definitions & phrases for leave out

leave

Related Terms

french leave


Idioms and Phrases with leave out

leave out

Omit, fail to include, as in This sentence doesn't make sense; a key word has been left out. [ Late 1400s ]

leave

also see:
also see under:
let