depart

depart — verb

1. When a person or a form of transport sets off from a place to begin a journey, e

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

When a person or a form of transport sets off from a place to begin a journey, especially by a scheduled service such as a train, bus, or airplane.

Example

The express train to Tainan departs from platform three every morning.

depart from + place for scheduled journey

Christopher and his family departed the resort before the tropical storm arrived.

Common collocations
  • depart from [place]
  • depart for [destination]
  • depart at [time]
  • plane/train/bus departs
Synonyms
  • leave

    The general, neutral alternative; less formal than depart.

  • set off

    Emphasises the start of a journey rather than the act of leaving a place.

  • embark

    Specifically about boarding a ship or aircraft; more literary.

Antonyms
  • arrive

    The opposite action — reaching the destination rather than leaving the origin.

  • return

    Coming back to the place one left.

Grammar Patterns

depart + from + [place]

depart + for + [destination]

depart + at + [time]

Usage Note

More formal than 'leave.' In everyday conversation, native speakers prefer 'leave' or 'head off.' 'Depart' is typical at airports, train stations, and in official travel announcements.

Common Mistakes

I will depart to Tokyo next week.
I will depart for Tokyo next week.
The destination always takes 'for,' never 'to.'
We departed the party at midnight.
We left the party at midnight.
'Depart' sounds overly formal for casual social situations.

2. To end one's employment or formal association with a company, department, or ins

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

To end one's employment or formal association with a company, department, or institution, either by one's own choice or as part of an organisational change.

Example

After twelve years at the firm, Amira departed at the end of the fiscal year.

depart (intransitive) from a company

Three senior managers have departed the organisation since the new chief executive took over.

depart + [organization] (transitive, business)

Common collocations
  • depart the company
  • depart from a position
  • depart one's post
  • depart amid controversy
Synonyms
  • leave

    The neutral, everyday word for ending employment.

  • resign

    Specifically means offering a formal notice of leaving; implies the employee's own decision.

  • quit

    Informal; often suggests suddenness or frustration.

Antonyms
  • join

    The opposite of leaving an organisation — becoming a member.

  • stay

    Continuing in one's position rather than leaving.

Grammar Patterns

depart + from + [company/department]

depart + [organization]

Usage Note

In business English, 'depart the company' (without 'from') is increasingly accepted in North American usage, though traditional style guides prefer 'depart from the company' or simply 'leave the company.'

Common Mistakes

She departed her job because of the low salary.
She left her job because of the low salary.
'Depart' is too formal for everyday reasons; use it for professional announcements, not casual explanations.

3. A gentle and respectful way of saying that someone has died, used especially in

3.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

A gentle and respectful way of saying that someone has died, used especially in formal obituaries, religious contexts, or when the speaker wishes to avoid a more direct term.

Example

The priest spoke of those who had departed this life in the past year.

depart this life (full euphemistic phrase)

Élise's great-aunt departed peacefully at the age of ninety-seven, surrounded by her children.

Common collocations
  • depart this life
  • depart peacefully
  • depart in one's sleep
  • departed loved ones
Synonyms
  • pass away

    The most common modern euphemism for dying; less formal than 'depart this life.'

  • pass on

    A softer euphemism with spiritual overtones, common in everyday speech.

Grammar Patterns

depart this life

depart (alone)

Usage Note

Almost entirely restricted to formal or reverent registers — obituaries, religious sermons, formal death announcements. The full phrase 'depart this life' makes the euphemism explicit and is more common in older or liturgical English.

Common Mistakes

My cat departed last night.
My cat died last night.
Using 'depart' for pets or in casual conversation sounds unnatural and overly formal.
He departed from this world' (when meaning died).
He departed this life.
The idiomatic phrase is 'depart this life,' not 'depart from this world.'

4. To be different from what is normal, expected, planned, or required by a rule, w

4.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

To be different from what is normal, expected, planned, or required by a rule, whether through a deliberate choice or simply as the result of change — the difference is typically noticeable or significant.

Example

The lead architect decided to depart from the original blueprints for the new library.

depart from + plans/blueprints

Haruto rarely departs from his morning exercise routine, even when he is travelling abroad.

Common collocations
  • depart from tradition
  • depart from the norm
  • depart from plans
  • depart radically from
  • depart from standard practice
Synonyms
  • deviate

    More precise for breaking from a rule or standard; 'depart' often suggests a conscious choice, while 'deviate' can be involuntary.

  • diverge

    Suggests two things moving apart from each other; common in mathematics and comparative contexts.

  • stray

    Often implies a minor or accidental departure; less formal.

Antonyms
  • follow

    To adhere closely to a plan, rule, or standard.

  • conform

    To behave in accordance with established norms or expectations.

Grammar Patterns

depart from + [norm/plan/standard/tradition]

depart radically/sharply/slightly from + [something]

Usage Note

Always requires 'from' when introducing what is being deviated from. ❌ 'She departed the rules' is incorrect in this sense. ✅ 'She departed from the rules.' The degree of deviation can be modified by adverbs such as 'radically,' 'sharply,' 'slightly,' or 'completely.'

Common Mistakes

The company departed its usual policy in this case.
The company departed from its usual policy in this case.
For the 'deviate' sense, 'from' is mandatory.
The results departed the forecast.
The results departed from the forecast.
Same rule: 'deviate from' requires the preposition.
Phrasal verbs

depart from

phrasal verb

To leave a place or to behave in a way that is different from what is usual or expected.

The train will depart from platform three at noon.

She decided to depart from her usual routine and go for a walk.

Idioms

depart this life

idiom

A polite way of saying that someone has died.

My grandfather departed this life peacefully in his sleep.

The poet departed this life at the age of ninety.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Depart, leave, exit, and withdraw all describe moving away from a place or situation, but they differ in formality and scope. Leave is the most neutral and widely used word, covering any kind of going away ('She left the office at five'). Depart is more formal and often implies a scheduled or deliberate start of a journey, making it the standard term at airports and train stations ('The flight departs at 14:30'). Exit focuses on going out of an enclosed or bounded space through a specific opening ('The audience exited the theatre through the side doors'). Withdraw suggests a deliberate, often tactical or respectful removal from a situation ('The troops withdrew from the border'). Deviate differs in that it means turning away from an expected path or standard rather than physically leaving ('The experiment deviated from the original procedure'). For everyday conversation, use leave; for travel announcements, use depart; for enclosed spaces, use exit; for strategic removal, use withdraw.

leaveexit ↗withdraw ↗deviate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchAnglo-NormanEnglish

From Old French departir, a combination of de- (meaning 'away') and partir (meaning 'to divide, to part'), ultimately from Latin partīre ('to divide, share'). The original sense in English was 'to separate, to divide,' which later shifted to 'to go away' in the 13th century. The figurative sense of 'deviating from a course' emerged in the 16th century, and the euphemistic 'to die' use became established by the 17th century.