take leave

English

Verb

take leave (third-person singular simple present takes leave, present participle taking leave, simple past took leave, past participle taken leave)

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see take,‎ leave.
   • 2011 March, W James Antle III, “Front-runner Failure”, in American Spectator, volume 44, number 2, page 12:

     Romney had already taken leave from Bain Capital by the time the American Pad & Paper layoffs took place.

2. (often with of) To depart.
   • 1944 November and December, A Former Pupil, “Some Memories of Crewe Works—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 343:

     So after learning a great deal about iron founding and much more about pike fishing, one regretfully took leave of a shop full of kindly characters and proceeded to a worse lot of odours in the brass foundry.

   • 1990 August, Linda Abbott with Marsha Frey, “Fatal diplomacy”, in History Today, volume 40, number 8, page 10:

     Rincon had taken leave of the king in early May

   • 1995 October 12, Furman Bisher, “Little fanfare for Cincinnati”, in Atlanta Journal Constitution:

     Those who hadn't already taken leave at Javier Lopez's last time up, turned for the exits, not taking the time to cast one last signature boo.

   • 1999 Spring, Judith Grossman, “How Aliens Think.”, in Ploughshares, volume 25, number 1, page 146:

     Lili takes leave with a kiss, and says hi to a young man sitting alone, sulking on a bench outside. / That's Jeannie's boyfriend

Derived terms

• take one's leave
• take leave of one's senses
• take French leave