depart

[dih-pahrt]

verb (used without object)

1. to go away; leave.

   She departed from Paris today. The train departs at 10:52.

   Antonyms: arrive

2. to diverge or deviate (usually followed byfrom ).

   The new method departs from the old in several respects.

3. to pass away, as from life or existence; die.

verb (used with object)

1. to go away from; leave.

   to depart this life.

   Synonyms: quit

noun

1. Archaic.,  departure; death.

depart

/ dɪˈpɑːt /

verb

1. to go away; leave

2. to start out; set forth

3. (usually foll by from) to deviate; differ; vary

   to depart from normal procedure

4. (tr) to quit (archaic, except in the phrase depart this life )

Other Word Forms

• undeparting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of depart¹

1175–1225; Middle English departen < Old French departir, equivalent to de- de- + partir to go away; part ( v. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of depart¹

C13: from Old French departir, from _de- + partir to go away, divide, from Latin partīrī to divide, distribute, from pars a part

Synonym Study

Depart, retire, retreat, withdraw imply leaving a place. Depart is a somewhat literary word for going away from a place: to depart on a journey. Retire emphasizes absenting oneself or drawing back from a place: to retire from a position in battle. Retreat implies a necessary withdrawal, especially as a result of adverse fortune in war: to retreat to secondary lines of defense. Withdraw suggests leaving some specific place or situation, usually for some definite and often unpleasant reason: to withdraw from a hopeless task.

Example Sentences

Seventh seed Djokovic hung over the net as he waited to congratulate Alcaraz, before waving to all corners of Arthur Ashe Stadium as he departed.

From BBC

The party might struggle to keep its support if Farage departed the political scene.

From BBC

The Bruins logged so many miles last season during their first season in the Big Ten that they regularly departed two days before games.

From Los Angeles Times

Belfast city-bound services from the bus station will depart from the hospital stop.

From BBC

"Glasgow's SNP-run council rode roughshod over the rules and, as a result, departing officials received eye-watering payouts with little to no oversight," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

• abandon 
• blast off 
• disappear 
• escape 
• evacuate 
• exit 
• go 
• pull out 
• quit 
• remove 
• retire 
• vacate 
• withdraw