depart

verb

de·​part di-ˈpärt How to pronounce depart (audio)
dē-
departed; departing; departs
Synonyms of depart

intransitive verb

1
a
: to go away : leave
The flight departed on time.
b
formal : die
My aunt departed this life [=my aunt died] at the age of 92.
c
: to leave a job or position
departed after 20 years as manager
2
a
: to turn aside : deviate
The river departs from its usual course downstream.
b
: to change something or do something in a different way
The actors were not allowed to depart from the script.

transitive verb

: to go away from : leave
The train is about to depart the station.

Synonyms of depart

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swerve, veer, deviate, depart, digress, diverge mean to turn aside from a straight course.

swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

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

Examples of depart in a Sentence

The group is scheduled to depart tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. Our flight departs at 6:15 a.m. The train departed the station on time. He is departing after 20 years with the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The National Gallery Singapore’s chief curator Patrick Flores and assistant chief executiveChris Lee, are the latest to depart the institution in December amid a staff shake-up. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026 And, yes, this rendition represented a lyrical alteration by the Tonji that departed from the traditional wording of the French national anthem. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said Friday afternoon that all four Moscow airports -- Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky -- stopped flights arriving and departing for security reasons. — Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026 May departed Fox 4 in late September after two years of work. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for depart

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, to divide, part company, from Anglo-French departir, from de- + partir to divide, from Latin partire, from part-, pars part

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of depart was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing depart

Rhymes for depart

See All Rhymes for depart

Browse Nearby Words

deparaffinize
depart
departed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depart. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

depart

verb
de·​part di-ˈpärt How to pronounce depart (audio)
1
a
: to go away or go away from : leave
b
: die entry 1 sense 1
2
: to turn aside : deviate

Legal Definition

depart

intransitive verb
de·​part
: to fail to follow : deviate from a course or standard
rather than sentencing petitioners to a term within the Guideline range, however, the District Court departed downward eight levels—Koon v. United States, 518 U.S. 81 (1996)
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