Ask Difference

Depart vs. Leave — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 20, 2024
Depart primarily connotes the act of starting a journey from a point, while leave suggests exiting a place or ending an involvement.
Depart vs. Leave — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Depart and Leave

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Key Differences

Depart typically implies beginning a journey or formal exit, especially used in the context of travel or schedules. On the other hand, leave tends to involve a broader spectrum of exiting scenarios, including quitting a job or vacating a premises.
Depart is often associated with transportation, such as departing from an airport or train station. Whereas leave might not necessarily involve travel, and can refer to simply exiting a room or taking time off from work.
In terms of formality, depart is more formal and often used in official or public transport contexts. Conversely, leave is more versatile and informal, suitable for everyday use.
Depart is also used in a metaphorical sense to indicate a departure from life, or death. While leave can similarly imply permanent or long-term absence, it is less commonly associated with mortality.
Usage frequency shows that depart is less common in casual conversation. In contrast, leave is widely used in both casual and formal communications.
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Comparison Chart

Connotation

Beginning of a journey
Exiting or ending involvement

Usage Context

Formal, travel-oriented
Broad, versatile

Formality

More formal
Less formal

Metaphorical Use

Often denotes death
Can imply long-term absence but less commonly associated with death

Frequency

Less common in casual speech
Common in both casual and formal speech

Compare with Definitions

Depart

To leave, especially to start a journey.
We depart for Hawaii at dawn.

Leave

To go away from a place.
She will leave the city for good tomorrow.

Depart

To go away from; leave a place.
He departed the meeting early.

Leave

Permission or authorization to do something.
He took leave of his senses.

Depart

To separate or take leave.
They departed each other's company with heavy hearts.

Leave

To allow to remain behind.
Leave your worries at the door.

Depart

To deviate from (a course or standard).
We will not depart from our guidelines.

Leave

To entrust or relinquish.
Leave the planning to me.

Depart

To die (used euphemistically).
She departed this life peacefully.

Leave

To cease to attend or be involved with.
He decided to leave school before graduation.

Depart

To go away; leave
I depart for the islands at noon.

Leave

Go away from
The England team left for Pakistan on Monday
We were almost the last to leave
She left London on June 6

Depart

To die.

Leave

Allow or cause to remain
The parts he disliked he would alter and the parts he didn't dislike he'd leave

Depart

To vary, as from a regular course; deviate
Depart from custom.

Leave

Cause (someone or something) to be in a particular state or position
I'll leave the door open
He'll leave you in no doubt about what he thinks
The children were left with feelings of loss

Depart

To go away from; leave
"I departed the oppressive building quickly ... without a backward glance" (Joyce Carol Oates).

Leave

(of a plant) put out new leaves
Trees leaved, wild flowers burst in profusion on the far side of the lake

Depart

(intransitive) To leave.

Leave

(in snooker, croquet, and other games) the position in which a player leaves the balls for the next player.

Depart

(intransitive) To set out on a journey.

Leave

Time when one has permission to be absent from work or from duty in the armed forces
Joe was home on leave
Maternity leave

Depart

To die.

Leave

Permission
Leave from the court to commence an action

Depart

To disappear, vanish; to cease to exist.

Leave

To go out of or away from
Not allowed to leave the room.

Depart

(intransitive) To deviate (from), be different (from), fail to conform.
His latest statements seemed to depart from party policy somewhat.
To depart from a title or defence in legal pleading

Leave

To go without taking or removing
Left my book on the bus.

Depart

(transitive) To go away from; to leave.

Leave

To omit or exclude
Left out the funniest part of the story.

Depart

To divide up; to distribute, share.

Leave

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

Depart

To separate, part.

Leave

To cause or allow to be or remain in a specified state
Left the lights on.

Depart

(obsolete) Division; separation, as of compound substances.

Leave

To have remaining after death
Left a young son.

Depart

(obsolete) A going away; departure.

Leave

To bequeath
Left her money to charity.

Depart

To part; to divide; to separate.

Leave

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

Depart

To go forth or away; to quit, leave, or separate, as from a place or a person; to withdraw; - opposed to arrive; - often with from before the place, person, or thing left, and for or to before the destination.
I will depart to mine own land.
Ere thou from hence depart.
He which hath no stomach to this fight,Let him depart.

Leave

To abandon or forsake
Leave home.
Left her husband.

Depart

To forsake; to abandon; to desist or deviate (from); not to adhere to; - with from; as, we can not depart from our rules; to depart from a title or defense in legal pleading.
If the plan of the convention be found to depart from republican principles.

Leave

To remove oneself from association with or participation in
Left the navy for civilian life.

Depart

To pass away; to perish.
The glory is departed from Israel.

Leave

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.

Depart

To quit this world; to die.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.

Leave

To cause or permit to be or remain
Left myself plenty of time.

Depart

To part thoroughly; to dispart; to divide; to separate.
Till death departed them, this life they lead.

Leave

(Nonstandard) To allow or permit; let.

Depart

To divide in order to share; to apportion.
And here is gold, and that full great plentee,That shall departed been among us three.

Leave

To set out or depart; go
When can you leave?.

Depart

To leave; to depart from.

Leave

To put forth foliage; leaf.

Depart

Division; separation, as of compound substances into their ingredients.
The chymists have a liquor called water of depart.

Leave

Permission to do something.

Depart

A going away; departure; hence, death.
At my depart for France.
Your loss and his depart.

Leave

An act of departing; a farewell
Took leave of her with a heavy heart.

Depart

Move away from a place into another direction;
Go away before I start to cry
The train departs at noon

Leave

See leave of absence.

Depart

Be at variance with; be out of line with

Leave

To have a consequence or remnant.

Depart

Leave;
The family took off for Florida

Leave

(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.
The ants did not leave so much as a crumb of bread.
There's not much food left. We'd better go to the shops.

Depart

Go away or leave

Leave

To cause, to result in.
The lightning left her dazzled for several minutes.
Infantile paralysis left him lame for the rest of his life.
She left disappointed.

Depart

Remove oneself from an association with or participation in;
She wants to leave
The teenager left home
She left her position with the Red Cross
He left the Senate after two terms
After 20 years with the same company, she pulled up stakes

Leave

(transitive) To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver, with a sense of withdrawing oneself.
Leave your hat in the hall.
We should leave the legal matters to lawyers.
I left my sewing and went to the window to watch the falling snow.

Depart

Wander from a direct or straight course

Leave

To depart; to separate from.

Leave

To let be or do without interference.
I left him to his reflections.
I leave my hearers to judge.

Leave

(transitive) To depart from; to end one's connection or affiliation with.
I left the country and I left my wife.

Leave

(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.

Leave

(intransitive) To depart; to go away from a certain place or state.
I think you'd better leave.

Leave

To transfer something.

Leave

(transitive) To transfer possession of after death.
When my father died, he left me the house.

Leave

(transitive) To give (something) to someone; to deliver (something) to a repository; to deposit.
I'll leave the car in the station so you can pick it up there.

Leave

(transitive) To transfer responsibility or attention of (something) (to someone); to stop being concerned with.
Can't we just leave this to the experts?

Leave

To remain (behind); to stay.

Leave

To stop, desist from; to "leave off" (+ noun / gerund).

Leave

(transitive) To give leave to; allow; permit; let; grant.
We were not left go to the beach after school except on a weekend.

Leave

To produce leaves or foliage.

Leave

(obsolete) To raise; to levy.

Leave

(cricket) The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball.

Leave

(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).

Leave

Permission to be absent; time away from one's work.
I've been given three weeks' leave by my boss.

Leave

Permission.
Might I beg leave to accompany you?
The applicant now seeks leave to appeal and, if leave be granted, to appeal against these sentences.

Leave

(dated) Farewell, departure.
I took my leave of the gentleman without a backward glance.

Leave

To send out leaves; to leaf; - often with out.

Leave

To raise; to levy.
An army strong she leaved.

Leave

To withdraw one's self from; to go away from; to depart from; as, to leave the house.
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.

Leave

To let remain unremoved or undone; to let stay or continue, in distinction from what is removed or changed.
If grape gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes ?
These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Besides it leaveth a suspicion, as if more might be said than is expressed.

Leave

To cease from; to desist from; to abstain from.
Now leave complaining and begin your tea.

Leave

To desert; to abandon; to forsake; hence, to give up; to relinquish.
Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
The heresies that men do leave.

Leave

To let be or do without interference; as, I left him to his reflections; I leave my hearers to judge.
I will leave you now to your gossiplike humor.

Leave

To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver; to commit; to submit - with a sense of withdrawing one's self from; as, leave your hat in the hall; we left our cards; to leave the matter to arbitrators.
Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way.
The footThat leaves the print of blood where'er it walks.

Leave

To have remaining at death; hence, to bequeath; as, he left a large estate; he left a good name; he left a legacy to his niece.

Leave

To cause to be; - followed by an adjective or adverb describing a state or condition; as, the losses due to fire leave me penniless; The cost of defending himself left Bill Clinton with a mountain of lawyers' bills.

Leave

To depart; to set out.
By the time I left for Scotland.

Leave

To cease; to desist; to leave off.
Leave off, and for another summons wait.

Leave

Liberty granted by which restraint or illegality is removed; permission; allowance; license.
David earnestly asked leave of me.
No friend has leave to bear away the dead.

Leave

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.
And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren.

Leave

The period of time during which you are absent from work or duty;
A ten day's leave to visit his mother

Leave

Permission to do something;
She was granted leave to speak

Leave

The act of departing politely;
He disliked long farewells
He took his leave
Parting is such sweet sorrow

Leave

Go away from a place;
At what time does your train leave?
She didn't leave until midnight
The ship leaves at midnight

Leave

Go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or forgetfulness;
She left a mess when she moved out
His good luck finally left him
Her husband left her after 20 years of marriage
She wept thinking she had been left behind

Leave

Act or be so as to become in a specified state;
The inflation left them penniless
The president's remarks left us speechless

Leave

Leave unchanged or undisturbed or refrain from taking;
Leave it as is
Leave the young fawn alone
Leave the flowers that you see in the park behind

Leave

Move out of or depart from;
Leave the room
The fugitive has left the country

Leave

Make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain;
This leaves no room for improvement
The evidence allows only one conclusion
Allow for mistakes
Leave lots of time for the trip
This procedure provides for lots of leeway

Leave

Result in;
The water left a mark on the silk dress
Her blood left a stain on the napkin

Leave

Remove oneself from an association with or participation in;
She wants to leave
The teenager left home
She left her position with the Red Cross
He left the Senate after two terms
After 20 years with the same company, she pulled up stakes

Leave

Put into the care or protection of someone;
He left the decision to his deputy
Leave your child the nurse's care

Leave

Leave or give by will after one's death;
My aunt bequeathed me all her jewelry
My grandfather left me his entire estate

Leave

Have left or have as a remainder;
That left the four of us
19 minus 8 leaves 11

Leave

Be survived by after one's death;
He left six children
At her death, she left behind her husband and 11 cats

Leave

Tell or deposit (information) knowledge;
Give a secret to the Russians
Leave your name and address here

Leave

Leave behind unintentionally;
I forgot my umbrella in the restaurant
I left my keys inside the car and locked the doors

Common Curiosities

Can "leave" refer to taking time off work?

Yes, one can take leave from work, which means a temporary absence.

Is "depart" only used for formal contexts?

Primarily, yes, it's often used in formal or scheduled travel contexts.

What is the difference in tone between "depart" and "leave"?

Depart is generally more formal, whereas leave is more informal.

Is "leave" used in military terminology?

Yes, in the military, leave refers to sanctioned time away from service.

Do both terms imply movement?

Depart implies starting a journey, while leave can mean simply exiting a place.

Which term is more appropriate for ending employment?

Leave is commonly used when referring to quitting a job.

Can either term be used in romantic contexts?

Leave is more commonly used, e.g., leaving a relationship.

Is "depart" a euphemism for death?

Yes, depart is often used euphemistically to refer to someone's death.

What does "take leave of one's senses" mean?

It means to temporarily lose one's judgment or rational thinking.

Can "depart" mean leaving a meeting early?

Yes, it can be used in that context to imply formally exiting a meeting.

How do both terms relate to permanence of absence?

Depart often implies a definitive start to a journey, while leave might imply a temporary or permanent exit depending on context.

What does "leave behind" imply?

It refers to leaving something or someone in a place while moving on.

Does "leave" have a different meaning in legal contexts?

In legal contexts, leave can mean formal permission, e.g., leave to appeal.

Are both terms used in transportation contexts?

Yes, but depart is more specifically used for schedules and formal announcements.

Can "depart" be used interchangeably with "leave" in travel?

Yes, but depart typically carries a more formal or scheduled implication.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

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