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Off vs Leave - What's the difference?

off | leave |

As verbs the difference between off and leave

is that off is (slang) to kill while leave is to have a consequence or remnant or leave can be to give leave to; allow; permit; let; grant or leave can be (rare) to produce leaves or foliageoxford english dictionary , 2nd ed or leave can be (obsolete) to raise; to levy.

As an adverb off

is in a direction away from the speaker or object.

As an adjective off

is inoperative, disabled.

As a preposition off

is (used to indicate movement away from a position on).

As a noun leave is

(cricket) the action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball or leave can be permission to be absent; time away from one's work.

off

English

Adverb

(en adverb)
  • In a direction away from the speaker or object.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or
  • Into a state of non-operation; into a state of non-existence.
  • Usage notes

    * Used in many , off'' is an adverbial particle often mistakenly thought of as a preposition. (It ''can be used as a preposition, but such usage is rare and usually informal; see below.)

    Synonyms

    * away, out

    Antonyms

    * on, in

    Derived terms

    * back off * bite off * break off * bring off * call off * clean off * cut off, cutoff * die off * drop off * fall off * fuck off * get off * go off * goof off * hold off * keep off * kick off, kickoff * knock off * lay off, layoff * leave off * let off * light off * live off * make off * make off with * nod off * pay off, payoff * piss off * pull off * put off * ring off * rip off, ripoff * round off * run off, runoff * see off * set off * show off, showoff * sleep off * shake off * switch off * take off * tell off * tick off * turn off, turnoff * walk it off * wear off

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Inoperative, disabled.
  • :All the lights are off .
  • Rancid, rotten.
  • :This milk is off !
  • (cricket) In, or towards the half of the field away from the batsman's legs; the right side for a right-handed batsman.
  • Less than normal, in temperament or in result.
  • :sales are off this quarter
  • Circumstanced (as in well off'', ''better off'', ''poorly off ).
  • *
  • Started on the way.
  • :off to see the wizard
  • :And they're off ! Whatsmyname takes an early lead, with Remember The Mane behind by a nose.
  • *
  • Far; off to the side.
  • :the off horse or ox in a team, in distinction from the nigh or near horse
  • *
  • *:So this was my future home, I thought!Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
  • *1937 , (Zora Neale Hurston), Their Eyes Were Watching God , Harper Perennial (2000), p.151:
  • *:He came in, took a look and squinched down into a chair in an off corner and didn’t open his mouth.
  • Designating a time when one is not strictly attentive to business or affairs, or is absent from a post, and, hence, a time when affairs are not urgent.
  • :He took an off''' day for fishing.  an '''off''' year in politics; the '''off season
  • Antonyms

    * (inoperative) on * (rotten) fresh * (cricket) on, leg

    Derived terms

    * off to the races

    Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • (Used to indicate movement away from a position on)
  • I took it off''' the table.''; ''Come '''off the roof!
  • (colloquial) Out of the possession of.
  • He didn't buy it off''' him. He stole it '''off him.
  • Away from or not on.
  • He's off''' the computer, but he's still on the phone.''; ''Keep '''off the grass.
  • Disconnected or subtracted from.
  • We've been off''' the grid for three days now.''; ''He took 20% '''off the list price.
  • Distant from.
  • We're just off''' the main road.''; ''The island is 23 miles ' off the cape.
  • No longer wanting or taking.
  • He's been off''' his feed since Tuesday.''; ''He's '''off his meds again.
  • Tantalum bar 6 off 3/8" Dia × 12" — Atom, Great Britain Atomic Energy Authority, 1972
    samples submitted … 12 off Thermistors type 1K3A531 … — BSI test report for shock and vibration testing, 2000
    I'd like to re-order those printer cartridges, let's say 5-off .

    Antonyms

    *

    Derived terms

    * off-campus * off one's feed

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (slang) To kill.
  • He got in the way so I had him offed .
  • (Singapore) To switch off.
  • Can you off the light?

    Derived terms

    * off-licence, off-license, offie, offy

    leave

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) leven, from (etyl) (whence Danish levne). More at .

    Verb

  • To have a consequence or remnant.
  • #To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting (something) entirely.
  • #:
  • #*, chapter=7
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=[…] St.?Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close-packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.}}
  • #*{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= David Van Tassel], [http://www.americanscientist.org/authors/detail/lee-dehaan Lee DeHaan
  • , title= Wild Plants to the Rescue , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Plant breeding is always a numbers game.
  • #To cause, to result in.
  • #:
  • #*{{quote-book, year=1899, author=(Stephen Crane)
  • , title=, chapter=1 , passage=There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up
  • #*, chapter=23
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=The slightest effort made the patient cough. He would stand leaning on a stick and holding a hand to his side, and when the paroxysm had passed it left him shaking.}}
  • #*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Out of the gloom , passage=[Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.}}
  • #(lb) To put; to place; to deposit; to deliver, with a sense of withdrawing oneself.
  • #:
  • #*Bible, (w) v. 24
  • #*:Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way.
  • #*(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • #*:The foot / That leaves the print of blood where'er it walks.
  • (lb) To depart; to separate from.
  • #To let be or do without interference.
  • #:
  • #(lb) To depart from; to end one's connection or affiliation with.
  • #:
  • #*
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=1 , passage=I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.}}
  • #(lb) To end one's membership in (a group); to terminate one's affiliation with (an organization); to stop participating in (a project).
  • #:
  • #(lb) To depart; to go away from a certain place or state.
  • #:
  • (lb) To transfer something.
  • #(lb) To transfer possession of after death.
  • #:
  • #(lb) To give (something) to someone; to deliver (something) to a repository; to deposit.
  • #:
  • #(lb) To transfer responsibility or attention of (something) (to someone); to stop being concerned with.
  • #:
  • To remain (behind); to stay.
  • *:
  • *:And whanne sire launcelot sawe them fare soo / he gat a spere in his hand / and there encountred with hym al attones syr bors sir Ector and sire Lyonel / and alle they thre smote hym atte ones with their speres // and by mysfortune sir bors smote syre launcelot thurgh the shelde in to the syde / and the spere brake / and the hede lefte stylle in his syde
  • *
  • *:Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
  • To stop, desist from; to "leave off" (+ noun / gerund).
  • *1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , (w) V:
  • *:When he had leeft speakynge, he sayde vnto Simon: Cary vs into the depe, and lett slippe thy nette to make a draught.
  • *(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
  • *:Now leave complaining and begin your tea.
  • Synonyms
    * (sense, to end one's connection with) depart, forget, leave behind
    Derived terms
    * beleave * forleave * leave behind * leave for dead * leave no stone unturned * leave nothing in the tank * leave someone hanging * leave someone high and dry * leave someone holding the bag * leave off * leave out * leave in the lurch * leave well enough alone * not leave one's thought * overleave * up and leave

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (cricket) The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball.
  • (billiards) The arrangement of balls in play that remains after a shot is made (which determines whether the next shooter — who may be either the same player, or an opponent — has good options, or only poor ones).
  • * 1890 February 27, "Slosson's Close Shave"], in [[w:New York Times, The New York Times] :
  • Having counted 38 points he tried a beautiful out of the corner, hit the first ball just a trife too hard and kissed his own ball off just when victory seemed to be his. The leave was unfortunate for Ives. Slosson played brilliantly and ran the game out, a close winner, with 22 points.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) leve, from (etyl) . Related to (etyl) verlof, (etyl) Erlaubnis. See also (l).

    Noun

    (-)
  • Permission to be absent; time away from one's work.
  • I've been given three weeks' leave by my boss.
  • (senseid)(dated, or, legal) Permission.
  • Might I beg leave to accompany you?
    The applicant now seeks leave to appeal and, if leave be granted, to appeal against these sentences.
  • (dated) Farewell, departure.
  • I took my leave of the gentleman without a backward glance.
    Derived terms
    * administrative leave * annual leave * by your leave * compassionate leave * leave of absence * maternity leave * on leave * parental leave * paternity leave * shore leave * sick leave * take French leave * take leave * ticket-of-leave

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) leven, from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • To give leave to; allow; permit; let; grant.
  • Etymology 4

    From (etyl) leven, from . More at (l).

    Verb

  • (rare) To produce leaves or foliage.Oxford English Dictionary , 2nd ed.
  • * 1868 , , The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám , 2nd edition:
  • Each Morn a thousand Roses brings, you say:
    Yes, but where leaves the Rose of Yesterday?
    Synonyms
    * leaf (verb)

    Etymology 5

    See levy.

    Verb

  • (obsolete) To raise; to levy.
  • * Spenser
  • An army strong she leaved .

    References

    * *