leave behind
phrasal verb·3 senses·particle behind
Meanings
Forget or fail to take something with you when you go
Why “behind”? Most people or things leave or continue, while one person or thing remains in the old place.
“Leo left his club ticket behind when he left with Maya.”
“Maya nearly left her lunch behind on the kitchen table before work.”
“Maya almost left her train ticket behind on the kitchen table.”
Surpass someone in development or achievement
Why “behind”? One person or thing follows behind another on the same path.
“The new model leaves rivals behind.”
“This runner leaves the others behind on hills.”
Depart from someone, ending a relationship or association
“He left his old life behind.”
“Maya left the city behind and moved north.”
Don't confuse with
Leave behind means forget or fail to take something with you when you go. Leave aside means set a topic aside temporarily to focus on something else.
Test yourself
“Leo left his club ticket behind when he left with Maya.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
leave aside
A contrast learners often mix up
Set a topic aside temporarily to focus on something else
be behind
Same behind pattern: late
Be late with work or a schedule; Be the hidden cause or organiser of something; Support a person, plan, or cause
drop behind
Same behind pattern: late
Lose your position relative to a group moving ahead
fall behind
Same behind pattern: late
Fail to keep pace or make progress as quickly as others; Of a payment, become late or owed
get behind
Same behind pattern: late
Become late with work, payments, or schedule; Support a person, idea, or cause
hold behind
Same behind pattern: leftover
Keep someone or something back from going forward
lag behind
Same behind pattern: late
Move or progress more slowly than others
put behind
Same behind pattern: leftover
Treat a difficult experience as no longer relevant
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