depart

verb

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

intransitive verb

1
a
: to go away : leave
b
: die
2
: to turn aside : deviate

transitive verb

: to go away from : leave
Choose the Right Synonym for depart

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.
Pereira knows that Wolves will lose players in the summer, with Cunha and Ait-Nouri two saleable assets likely to depart, while other more peripheral players will inevitably move on. Steve Madeley, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025 Boos rained down from the home crowd as Romano departed the mound. Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025 As Americans hunt for dyed eggs, spike their blood sugar levels with Peeps, attend services, enjoy matzoh dishes and memorialize the dearly departed, others may be consuming cannabis products with a sense of ceremony. Jeanie Pyun, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025 In the months since, the new administration has used a variety of tactics — explicit and subtle — to urge immigrants to depart the country of their own accord. Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Depart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depart. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

depart

verb
de·​part di-ˈpärt How to pronounce depart (audio)
1
a
: to go away or go away from : leave
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 levelsKoon v. United States, 518 U.S. 81 (1996)

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