50 Idioms for Leaving With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Leaving
1. Hit the road
Meaning: To leave a place or start a journey.
In a Sentence: It’s getting late; we’d better hit the road. / After saying goodbye, they hit the road back to their hometown.
Other Ways to Say: Head out, Take off
2. Call it a day
Meaning: To stop working or doing an activity and leave.
In a Sentence: We’ve worked enough for today; let’s call it a day. / It started raining, so they called it a day at the park.
Other Ways to Say: Pack up, Wrap it up
3. Take a hike
Meaning: To leave immediately, often used rudely.
In a Sentence: He was annoying everyone, so I told him to take a hike.
Other Ways to Say: Get lost, Go away
4. Head out
Meaning: To leave or depart from somewhere.
In a Sentence: I’ll head out after dinner. / Let’s head out before the traffic starts.
Other Ways to Say: Leave, Set off
5. Bail out
Meaning: To leave a situation or abandon a plan suddenly.
In a Sentence: He bailed out of the meeting without notice.
Other Ways to Say: Back out, Skip out
6. Make an exit
Meaning: To leave a place or situation.
In a Sentence: She made a quiet exit after the event.
Other Ways to Say: Slip out, Leave quietly
7. Clear out
Meaning: To leave or remove yourself or things from a place.
In a Sentence: We need to clear out of this room by noon.
Other Ways to Say: Vacate, Move out
8. Take one’s leave
Meaning: To politely say goodbye and leave.
In a Sentence: He took his leave after dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Depart, Say goodbye
9. Pull out
Meaning: To leave or withdraw, especially from a group or place.
In a Sentence: The company pulled out of the project.
Other Ways to Say: Withdraw, Drop out
10. Walk away
Meaning: To leave or abandon something or someone.
In a Sentence: She walked away from the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Exit, Leave behind
11. Move on
Meaning: To leave a situation and start something new.
In a Sentence: After the breakup, she decided to move on.
Other Ways to Say: Let go, Leave it behind
12. Cut out
Meaning: To leave abruptly.
In a Sentence: I’ve got to cut out early today.
Other Ways to Say: Dip out, Take off
13. Blow this joint
Meaning: To leave a place quickly or eagerly.
In a Sentence: This party is boring—let’s blow this joint!
Other Ways to Say: Bounce, Get out of here
14. Bow out
Meaning: To withdraw or leave, often gracefully.
In a Sentence: He bowed out of the race due to injury.
Other Ways to Say: Step aside, Resign
15. Take flight
Meaning: To flee or run away quickly.
In a Sentence: The thief took flight when the alarm rang.
Other Ways to Say: Escape, Flee
16. Skip town
Meaning: To leave a place quickly and often secretly.
In a Sentence: He skipped town before paying his rent.
Other Ways to Say: Disappear, Get out of town
17. Pack up
Meaning: To gather your things and leave.
In a Sentence: Let’s pack up and head home.
Other Ways to Say: Wrap it up, Get going
18. Fly the coop
Meaning: To escape or leave, often secretly.
In a Sentence: The bird flew the coop when the cage door opened.
Other Ways to Say: Escape, Run off
19. Shake the dust off one’s feet
Meaning: To leave a place behind, especially without regret.
In a Sentence: She shook the dust off her feet and never looked back.
Other Ways to Say: Leave behind, Move forward
20. Get going
Meaning: To start leaving or begin moving.
In a Sentence: It’s getting late—we should get going.
Other Ways to Say: Set off, Head out
21. Step out
Meaning: To leave a place briefly.
In a Sentence: I’m going to step out for a few minutes. / She stepped out to take a phone call.
Other Ways to Say: Pop out, Be right back
22. Walk away
Meaning: To leave a situation or responsibility.
In a Sentence: He walked away from the project due to stress. / Sometimes you just have to walk away.
Other Ways to Say: Leave it behind, Quit
23. Take off
Meaning: To leave quickly or suddenly.
In a Sentence: He took off as soon as the party ended. / The bird took off into the sky.
Other Ways to Say: Dash off, Jet out
24. Clear out
Meaning: To leave a place, especially quickly.
In a Sentence: We need to clear out before the storm hits. / The office cleared out after 5 PM.
Other Ways to Say: Evacuate, Get out
25. Blow this joint
Meaning: To leave a place, usually in a casual or humorous way.
In a Sentence: This party’s boring—let’s blow this joint! / After dinner, they blew the joint and went bowling.
Other Ways to Say: Leave, Get going
26. Head home
Meaning: To leave and go to one’s home.
In a Sentence: It’s late, I should head home. / After the show, everyone headed home.
Other Ways to Say: Go back, Return home
27. Slip out
Meaning: To leave quietly and unnoticed.
In a Sentence: He slipped out during the meeting. / She slipped out before anyone saw her.
Other Ways to Say: Sneak out, Tiptoe away
28. Make one’s exit
Meaning: To leave, especially in a planned or polite way.
In a Sentence: She made her exit after the speech. / He made a quiet exit from the party.
Other Ways to Say: Leave gracefully, Withdraw
29. Beat it
Meaning: To leave immediately, often said in a harsh way.
In a Sentence: The guard told us to beat it. / When things got tense, he decided to beat it.
Other Ways to Say: Get lost, Take a hike
30. Pack up and leave
Meaning: To gather belongings and depart.
In a Sentence: We packed up and left at sunrise. / She packed up her books and left the library.
Other Ways to Say: Get ready to go, Move out
31. Split
Meaning: To leave, usually suddenly or informally.
In a Sentence: They split before the drama started. / Let’s split before it rains.
Other Ways to Say: Bounce, Dip
32. Duck out
Meaning: To leave quickly without drawing attention.
In a Sentence: He ducked out during intermission. / I’m going to duck out early today.
Other Ways to Say: Slip away, Make an early exit
33. Head for the hills
Meaning: To leave quickly to avoid danger.
In a Sentence: When the alarm went off, we headed for the hills. / The robbers headed for the hills.
Other Ways to Say: Flee, Run away
34. Exit stage left
Meaning: To leave in a dramatic or theatrical way.
In a Sentence: After his final words, he exited stage left. / She exited stage left before anyone could respond.
Other Ways to Say: Leave dramatically, Bow out
35. Go one’s separate ways
Meaning: To leave and not continue together.
In a Sentence: After college, they went their separate ways. / The band members went their separate ways.
Other Ways to Say: Part ways, Say goodbye
36. Fold up
Meaning: To stop and leave, especially a business or operation.
In a Sentence: The shop folded up after the slow season. / They folded up the tent and left.
Other Ways to Say: Shut down, Wrap up
37. March off
Meaning: To leave with determination.
In a Sentence: She marched off after the argument. / The children marched off to bed.
Other Ways to Say: Walk away firmly, Storm off
38. Bug out
Meaning: To leave suddenly, especially in an emergency.
In a Sentence: They bugged out when they saw smoke. / He bugged out during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Bail, Run off
39. Pull up stakes
Meaning: To leave a place and move somewhere else.
In a Sentence: They pulled up stakes and moved to the countryside. / After years in one place, it was time to pull up stakes.
Other Ways to Say: Relocate, Move away
40. Bail out
Meaning: To leave suddenly, often to avoid something.
In a Sentence: He bailed out of the meeting. / She bailed out when things got tough.
Other Ways to Say: Dip, Leave quickly
41. Say goodbye
Meaning: To part ways with someone or something.
In a Sentence: They said goodbye and hugged tightly. / I said goodbye to my childhood home.
Other Ways to Say: Bid farewell, Take leave
42. Slip away
Meaning: To leave quietly without being noticed.
In a Sentence: He slipped away from the noisy room. / She slipped away during the commotion.
Other Ways to Say: Sneak off, Depart quietly
43. Make tracks
Meaning: To leave quickly.
In a Sentence: It’s late—we should make tracks. / The kids made tracks when the bell rang.
Other Ways to Say: Hurry off, Head out
44. Pull out
Meaning: To withdraw or leave, especially a vehicle or person.
In a Sentence: The train pulled out of the station. / They pulled out of the deal.
Other Ways to Say: Leave, Move away
45. Blow town
Meaning: To leave a town or city, especially suddenly.
In a Sentence: He blew town after the breakup. / They decided to blow town for the weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Get away, Take off
46. Light out
Meaning: To leave quickly and suddenly.
In a Sentence: They lit out before the rain started. / She lit out without saying goodbye.
Other Ways to Say: Dash off, Scoot
47. Say farewell
Meaning: A formal way of saying goodbye.
In a Sentence: We said farewell at the airport. / He said farewell to his old team.
Other Ways to Say: Part ways, Take leave
48. Fly the coop
Meaning: To escape or leave suddenly.
In a Sentence: The dog flew the coop again. / He flew the coop after quitting.
Other Ways to Say: Run off, Break free
49. Move on
Meaning: To leave and go forward in life.
In a Sentence: After the breakup, she moved on. / It’s time to move on from the past.
Other Ways to Say: Let go, Leave behind
50. Leave the nest
Meaning: To leave home and become independent.
In a Sentence: She left the nest when she went to college. / It’s hard to leave the nest, but it’s necessary.
Other Ways to Say: Become independent, Move out
