# leave someone to their own devices

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/leave-someone-to-their-own-devices
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

to leave alone, unsupervised, without assistance.

## Examples

- I left the children to their own devices for an hour.
- The manager prefers to leave her team to their own devices once she explains the main goals.
- Rather than micromanaging the creative process, the director chose to leave the actors to their own devices to see how they interpreted the scene.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.