depart

verb

di-ˈpärt How to pronounce depart (audio)
Definition of departnext
1
as in to exit
to leave a place often for another I'll sing one more song before I depart

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to die
to stop living a special tribute for those members of the motion picture academy who have departed over the past year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb depart contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of depart are deviate, digress, diverge, swerve, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

Where would deviate be a reasonable alternative to depart?

The synonyms deviate and depart are sometimes interchangeable, but deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

When could digress be used to replace depart?

While the synonyms digress and depart are close in meaning, digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

How do diverge and depart relate to one another?

Diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

When is it sensible to use swerve instead of depart?

The meanings of swerve and depart largely overlap; however, swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

When can veer be used instead of depart?

The words veer and depart are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of depart United 5690 had departed Springfield, Missouri, en route to Houston at 4:48 p.m. and made an emergency landing an hour and 40 minutes later at Waco Regional Airport. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2025 The boxes were loaded onto Trump’s flight departing to Florida on Friday. —Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2025 Zelensky departed the White House shortly after the meeting concluded. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025 Zelenskyy departed the White House without signing a mineral agreement that had been in the works. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 1 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for depart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depart
  1. exit
  2. die
  3. move
  4. perish
  5. go
  6. fall
  7. get
  8. disappear
Verb
  • Security camera footage showed the two suspects entering the apartment building at about 4:24 p.m. Monday and going to the door of the apartment, then exiting from a rear staircase at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to the incident report.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Before exiting, Congressman Maxwell Frost also had a parting look.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of exit
Verb
  • In Nebraska, two people died after losing control of their vehicle amid Tuesday’s winter weather, according to the state patrol.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The Miracle of Gene Hackman Hackman's pacemaker showed that his last event was recorded on Feb. 17, indicating this is likely when the actor died, according to Mendoza.
    — Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of die
Verb
  • On one of those days, Sue began asking Ken to move her to a care home.
    — Jon Hamilton, NPR, 26 Feb. 2025
  • The dog named Vera was surrendered to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay when her owners moved.
    — Liz O'Connell, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Definition of move
Verb
  • The names of the boaters who perished and those hospitalized were not immediately released.
    — Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025
  • That was quickly followed by two fatal accidents aboard small planes—one in Philadelphia and then one in Alaska—in which a total of 17 people perished, adding to the unease.
    — Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 20 Feb. 2025
Definition of perish
Verb
  • The Vikings went undefeated in the DuKane Conference and won a regional title.
    — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Butler went from junior college to Marquette and then was a late first-round draft pick by the Bulls, needing to scratch and claw for playing time before emerging as an All-Star.
    — Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
Definition of go
Verb
  • Although platforms can rise and fall faster than the tiny-eyeglasses fashion trend, the principles of good marketing stand the test of time.
    — Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Hackman appeared to have fallen, a deputy observed.
    — SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, TIME, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of fall
Verb
  • Watkins made some bad decisions in traffic, and the Bruins were able to get away with some contact in the paint.
    — Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.
    — Nick Crain, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of get
Verb
  • Potato Cakes were replaced by crinkle fries in 2021, then briefly rejoined Arby’s menu in July 2024, but once again disappeared—resulting in an outcry from fans on social media.
    — Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Joann, the place to buy fabric and quilting supplies, will disappear.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of disappear

Browse Nearby Words

depart
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depart. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on depart

Nglish: Translation of depart for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things
See More

Popular Features

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

13 Unusually Long English Words

9 Superb Owl Words
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
girl-pencil-test
Challenging Standardized Test Words Quiz Vol. 3 You’re on your own for the math section.
See All