leave
1 (lēv)
[Middle English leaven, from Old English lǣfan.]
verb: left (lĕft), leav·ing, leaves.
transitive verb
- To go out of or away from: not allowed to leave the room.
- To go without taking or removing: left my book on the bus.
- To omit or exclude: left out the funniest part of the story.
- To have as a result, consequence, or remainder: The car left a trail of exhaust fumes. Two from eight leaves six.
- To cause or allow to be or remain in a specified state: left the lights on.
- To have remaining after death: left a young son.
- To bequeath: left her money to charity.
- To give over to another to control or act on: Leave all the details to us.
- To abandon or forsake: leave home; left her husband.
- To remove oneself from association with or participation in: left the navy for civilian life.
- 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.
- To cause or permit to be or remain: left myself plenty of time.
- Nonstandard To allow or permit; let.
intransitive verb
- To set out or depart; go: When can you leave?
phrasal verbs
- leave
- To refrain from disturbing or interfering.
- leave off
- To stop; cease.
- To stop doing or using.
idioms
- leave no stone unturned
- To make every possible effort.
derivatives
- leav́er
- noun
usage note
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.
