Synonym Chooser

How does the verb depart contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of depart are deviate, digress, diverge, swerve, and veer. While all these words mean "to turn aside from a straight course," depart suggests a deviation from a traditional or conventional course or type.

occasionally departs from his own guidelines

Where would deviate be a reasonable alternative to depart?

The synonyms deviate and depart are sometimes interchangeable, but deviate implies a turning from a customary or prescribed course.

never deviated from her daily routine

When could digress be used to replace depart?

While the synonyms digress and depart are close in meaning, digress applies to a departing from the subject of one's discourse.

a professor prone to digress

How do diverge and depart relate to one another?

Diverge may equal depart but usually suggests a branching of a main path into two or more leading in different directions.

after school their paths diverged

When is it sensible to use swerve instead of depart?

The meanings of swerve and depart largely overlap; however, swerve may suggest a physical, mental, or moral turning away from a given course, often with abruptness.

swerved to avoid hitting the dog

When can veer be used instead of depart?

The words veer and depart are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, veer implies a major change in direction.

at that point the path veers to the right

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of depart Concrete trucks routinely queued up on nearby streets before departing right on La Brea Avenue with their agitator drums turning. Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024 Tactically, this project succeeded: The PLO and its armed militants departed for Tunisia. Kim Ghattas, The Atlantic, 2 Nov. 2024 The president will depart for Wilmington, Del., after his remarks. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024 Olivera, who in August joined the CBS procedural as a new BAU agent for Season 7, is departing the series after filming only a handful of episodes, TVLine has confirmed. Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for depart 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depart
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Biden’s refusal to exit the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous initial debate performance in June kicked off a whirlwind season that gave rise to Harris.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Redstone will exit the Paramount board after Skydance and RedBird Capital Partners complete the two-part transaction to acquire Redstone’s National Amusements Inc. and then merge Skydance and Paramount, Variety confirmed.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The organization, created in 2002 after four students at a Jefferson County high school died by suicide in a nine-month period, is branching out beyond the Front Range.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
  • Monk likely died long before deputies checked for his pulse, the lawsuit claimed.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • If the company does not adhere to the agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office can move forward with the case.
    Jason Green, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
  • According to the article, published in 2016, Lo moved into the New York Edition hotel, in the Gramercy area, then racked up a $13,000 tab and refused to leave for nearly two months.
    Suzanne Seggerman, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The twist involves a naming switch-up between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), who perishes at the hand of Darth Maul (Ray Park) at the conclusion of the divisive prequel.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 2 Nov. 2024
  • In the end, 384 men survived and 828 perished, either in the hold or in the water.
    Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Tough way for the drive to end for Philly, which opted to kick a short field goal instead of going for the tie.
    Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024
  • Filippone recently sold a condo whose agent went into contract, then didn’t send in his client’s application.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Valor recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock after that as Regis fell a win short of the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.
    Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 17 Nov. 2024
  • That’s in part because Democrats fell short in their bid to flip enough battleground districts in Southern California and the Central Valley to help the national party win a majority.
    Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • What typical purchases will likely get pricier during the next Trump era?
    Melvin Backman, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024
  • Almost half of real-estate agents in the country got into the business in the last five years, buoyed by buyers who did not seem aware of how the system worked.
    Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Those subsidies will likely disappear under the Trump administration, which has pledged to dial back Biden’s green investments.
    Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024
  • The noises around me, the people, the cars, the children, everything disappeared with Tina.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near depart

Cite this Entry

“Depart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depart. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on depart

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