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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

Example 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 The Boeing 737-800 aircraft originally departed Colorado Springs Airport at 4:37 p.m., per FlightAware, and was headed to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, per the FAA statement. Charna Flam, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025 Now, the beloved brand is entering a new phase: departing from the L’Oréal umbrella to be independently-owned once again. Larry Stansbury, Essence, 4 Mar. 2025 The grant conveys each school’s television rights to the conference through 2035-36, and FSU’s counsel estimated that if the grant and exit fee were strictly enforced, departing the league would cost the school more than $600 million. David Teel, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2025 The United Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Waco Regional Airport in Waco, Texas, due to the turbulence after departing from Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri on Sunday, March 2, local outlets 25 News and Springfield News-Leader reported. Escher Walcott, People.com, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for depart
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depart
Verb
  • The suspect allegedly drove a black Nissan at a high rate of speed while exiting the highway before losing control of the vehicle and hitting a tree.
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Eyes on Peraza Oswald Peraza, a third base and bench option, is okay after exiting Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox early.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Flo Milli kicked off her pregnancy with a little bit of mystery, but now, what fans have been dying to know has been revealed: who is the father of her expectant baby boy.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The weather changed with the seasons; crops were planted and harvested; festivals were celebrated; people were born, aged and died, all predictably.
    James Byrne, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The other major addition was a giant digital tapestry that moved slowly up or down the giant canvas behind the Dead, with surreal animation that had more wealth of detail than the naked eye could take in, even over the course of an extended Dead jam.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Mar. 2025
  • The joys of not making an announcement is that Apple has the wiggle room to move things up to and including the release date, so things could change.
    David Phelan, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Twenty-seven people perished, including the Minch family.
    Todd Richmond, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
  • After the 17th Mickey is presumed to have perished in an ice cave, an 18th is prematurely printed out, leading to a duplicate situation that’s supposed to result in the automatic execution of all copies.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Humans generate memories during their very first months of life, but where do those memories go?
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Mar. 2025
  • If that snood suddenly shortens, your gobbler has gone from relaxed to alert, and the jig might be up.
    Alice Jones Webb, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • After this, oil production will fall, albeit slowly toward 2050, as decarbonization proceeds and more electric vehicles take to the roads.
    Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Gas prices continued to fall throughout the nation on Tuesday, bringing financial relief to people in the country as consumer prices rise in other areas.
    Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Airports worldwide got a similar response last July, when a software glitch from cybersecurity company Crowdstrike caused a global IT outage that grounded thousands of flights worldwide.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Join us at Billboard Women in Music 2025 — get your tickets here.
    Kyle Denis, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • There are still matches when Isak is on the fringes — Bournemouth, Fulham and West Ham in 2025 — and when his hold-up play disappears, leaving Newcastle toothless up top.
    Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • Two years later, without explanation, the vocalist and guitarist had not only disappeared from the collective, but seemingly retired the project of Ghost Mountain altogether.
    Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Depart.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depart. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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