1
as in departure
the act of leaving a place
the leave-taking of the guest of honor was scheduled for 11 o'clock
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in farewell
the act or process of two or more persons going off in different directions
the sweethearts' leave-taking was filled with tearful pauses and promises to meet again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of leave-taking
How can a child understand this kind of leave-taking?
—
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Jan. 2024
With Nitti’s leave-taking, McEntire sent home Noah Spencer and Ms. Monet, with Ruby Leigh, Jordan Ranier and Jacquie Roar moving on to the live shows.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2023
Forest fires were lowering human birth weights, zoo chimpanzees in Kyoto enjoy virtual forests, and the chimpanzees of the Bossou community are formal in their greetings but unceremonious in their leave-taking.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 26 Jan. 2024
With Nitti’s leave-taking, McEntire sent home Noah Spencer and Ms. Monet, with Ruby Leigh, Jordan Ranier and Jacquie Roar moving on to the live shows.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Nov. 2023
Forest fires were lowering human birth weights, zoo chimpanzees in Kyoto enjoy virtual forests, and the chimpanzees of the Bossou community are formal in their greetings but unceremonious in their leave-taking.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leave-taking
Noun
-
His exit, which was was first reported by The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, was part of a string of high-profile departures at Musk's AI startup.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Running constant checks on gate numbers and departure times.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Her previous Instagram post was a photo taken with Andrew Watt and Slash at Black Sabbath’s farewell concert in early July.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Legends such as Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Dalilah Muhammad will embark on their final farewell, while budding talent like Masai Russell and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will continue to build their legacy.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leave-taking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leave-taking. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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