The Collaborative International Dictionary
Leave \Leave\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Left (l[e^]ft); p. pr. & vb. n. Leaving.] [OE. leven, AS. l?fan, fr. l[=a]f remnant, heritage; akin to lifian, libban, to live, orig., to remain; cf. bel[=i]fan to remain, G. bleiben, Goth. bileiban.
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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.
--Gen. ii. 24. -
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 ?
--Jer. xlix. 9.These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
--Matt. xxiii. 2 -
Besides it leaveth a suspicion, as if more might be said than is expressed.
--Bacon.3. To cease from; to desist from; to abstain from.
Now leave complaining and begin your tea.
--Pope. -
To desert; to abandon; to forsake; hence, to give up; to relinquish.
Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
--Mark x. 28.The heresies that men do leave.
--Shak. -
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.
--Shak. -
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.
--Matt. v. 24.The foot That leaves the print of blood where'er it walks.
--Shak. 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.
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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. To leave alone.
To leave in solitude.
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To desist or refrain from having to do with; as, to leave dangerous chemicals alone. To leave off.
To desist from; to forbear; to stop; as, to leave off work at six o'clock.
To cease wearing or using; to omit to put in the usual position; as, to leave off a garment; to leave off the tablecloth.
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To forsake; as, to leave off a bad habit.
To leave out, to omit; as, to leave out a word or name in writing.
To leave to one's self, to let (one) be alone; to cease caring for (one).
Syn: Syn>- To quit; depart from; forsake; abandon; relinquish; deliver; bequeath; give up; forego; resign; surrender; forbear. See Quit.
Leave \Leave\, v. i.
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To depart; to set out. [Colloq.]
By the time I left for Scotland.
--Carlyle. -
To cease; to desist; to leave off. ``He . . . began at the eldest, and left at the youngest.''
--Gen. xliv. 12.To leave off, to cease; to desist; to stop.
Leave off, and for another summons wait.
--Roscommon.
Usage examples of "to leave off".
Daffyd sent a quick warning to Sally to leave off the search and get back to the copter.
Wasn't I the one, after all, who told you to leave off all those damned ecclesiastical robes and start wearing a soldier's apparel?
The hasty engagement she had entered into with that woman--Here, my dear madam, I was obliged to leave off abruptly, to recollect and compose myself.