leave behind
phrasal verb·3 senses·particle behind
Meanings
Forget or fail to take something with you when you go
Why “behind”? Everyone else moves on. What stays behind is left there.
“I left my keys behind.”
“She left her scarf behind on the train.”
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
“I left my keys behind.” 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
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 with others; Of an item, be left forgotten or detached from a group; 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
remain behind
Same behind pattern: leftover
Stay in place when others move on
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