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.
Difference Between Depart and Leave
Table of Contents
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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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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba 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 ArifUrooj 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.
