depart
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to leave a place, especially to start a journey.
to leave or go away from a location, typically to begin a journey. Intransitive, though occasionally used transitively in formal travel contexts.
Simple“The train is scheduled to depart from platform four in ten minutes.”
In context“The delegation is expected to depart for the summit early tomorrow morning, provided the weather conditions remain stable for the flight.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to change from a usual way of doing things or a standard plan.
to deviate from an established rule, tradition, or course of action. Usually followed by the preposition 'from'.
Simple“For this project, we decided to depart from our usual design style.”
In context“The director chose to depart from the original script, introducing a controversial ending that sparked significant debate among critics.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
a very formal or polite way to say someone has died.
to die; used as a formal or euphemistic alternative to 'pass away'. Often used in the form 'the departed' to refer to the dead.
Simple“The local priest spoke kindly of those who had departed this life.”
In context“In his final letters, the poet wrote calmly about his readiness to depart this world, viewing death as a natural conclusion to his work.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
when a plane stops flying in a controlled way and starts to fall or spin.
to lose control of an aircraft, resulting in a departure from controlled flight. Used both transitively and intransitively within the industry.
Simple“The pilot struggled to regain control after the aircraft began to depart.”
In context“The investigation concluded that the jet departed controlled flight due to a sudden mechanical failure in the tail section.”
UsageIn technical aviation contexts, the aircraft is often the subject that 'departs' from its flight path.
“Spence departs from North London after four years, where he made 85 appearances and won the Europa League .”
“On Monday, lawyers who arrived at the courts were being asked to depart.”
From Old French departir, from Late Latin departiō (“to divide”), from dē- (“away from”) + partiō (“part, divide”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.