leaving

leaving — verb

1. The -ing form of the verb 'leave'. It can describe the action of going away from

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

The -ing form of the verb 'leave'. It can describe the action of going away from a place or person while it is happening, or it can work like a noun, for example 'Leaving was sad.'

Example

Ignacio is leaving for Tokyo tomorrow morning at six.

present progressive: be + leaving

Defne was leaving the office when she saw the urgent email.

past progressive: was/were + leaving

Common collocations
  • leaving for
  • leaving behind
  • leaving from
  • leaving without
Synonyms
  • going

    less formal and more general than 'leaving'; can describe any kind of departure

  • departing

    more formal than 'leaving', common in travel and official contexts

Antonyms
  • arriving

    the opposite action — reaching a place rather than going away from it

  • staying

    remaining in a place instead of leaving

Grammar Patterns

be + leaving

leaving + object

leaving + place/person

Usage Note

Distinguish from the past-tense form 'left' — 'leaving' describes an action in progress or used as a noun, not a completed action. For example: 'I am leaving now' (in progress) vs 'I left an hour ago' (completed). Only 'leaving' can follow a form of 'be' to form progressive tenses.

Common Mistakes

I am left the office at 5 PM.
I left the office at 5 PM.
'left' is the past tense; 'leaving' needs an auxiliary verb like 'am' or 'was'.
Leaving is not allowed leave early.
Leaving early is not allowed.
the gerund already acts as a noun; do not add another main verb.
She was leaved the house.
She was leaving the house.
the -ing form after 'be' must be 'leaving', never 'leaved'.

Word family

  • leave
    verbA1
  • leaves
    verbA1
  • left
    verbA1
  • leaver
    nounB2
  • leavings
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Leaving' is the most general term for moving away from a place, person, or situation and is used in everyday conversation. 'Departing' is more formal and often appears in travel announcements or official schedules. 'Going away' is informal and emphasises distance or a temporary absence from home. 'Quitting' specifically means leaving a job, a habit, or an activity permanently and carries a sense of finality. For example: 'Ignacio is leaving the house at 8 AM' (general departure); 'The train is departing from platform three' (formal, scheduled); 'They are going away for the weekend' (informal, temporary); 'Kemi is quitting her job next month' (permanent, specific).

leaving ↗departinggoing awayquitting

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • leaving aside
  • leaving out
  • leaving behind

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb 'leave' comes from Old English 'lǣfan', meaning 'to allow to remain' or 'to bequeath'. Its present participle form 'leaving' developed in Middle English around the 13th century, following the standard -ing suffix pattern for continuous action.