departure
noun
What departure means
The act of leaving a place, especially at the start of a journey. At an airport or a station, departures are the planes or trains that are leaving.
Please arrive at the airport two hours before departure.
Check the departures board to find your gate.
Test yourself
Five questions about departure
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does departure mean?
A departure is the moment a plane, train or bus leaves, or the act of leaving a place at the start of a journey.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
The screen at the station lists every train that is leaving soon. It is the board for…
Trains that are leaving are departures. The arrivals board lists the trains that are coming in, not the ones that are leaving.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
Passengers must be at the gate at least thirty minutes before ___.
You have to be at the gate before the plane leaves, and the time a plane leaves is its departure.
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Question 4 of 5Opposite
Which word is the opposite of departure?
A departure is when you leave and an arrival is when you get there, so arrival is the opposite.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses departure correctly?
Departure is a noun, and something is delayed by an amount of time. You cannot use departure as a verb, and departure takes a singular verb.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Departure in a sentence
5 more examples of departure in everyday situations.
- At the airport
Our departure gate changed twice, so we had to run across the terminal.
- At work
After her departure from the company, two people took over her job.
- A message
Reminder: departure is at 7:30 a.m. from the hotel lobby, so please be on time.
- The news
Dozens of departures were canceled at the airport because of the snowstorm.
- Figurative
The new menu is a big departure from the restaurant’s usual style.
How to use departure
Departure is the noun. The verb is depart, which is more formal than leave. In everyday speech people ask “What time do we leave?” more often than “What time do we depart?”, but on tickets and signs you will see departure time and departure gate.
It can also mean a change from the usual way of doing something: “The new album is a departure from her earlier style.”
Forms
- departuresplural
- departverb
- departedpast of depart
- departingadjective
Patterns
- departure from + place
- before / after departure
- departure time / gate / lounge
- a departure from something (a change)
Common mistakes with departure
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NotWe will departure at nine.
SayWe will leave at nine. / We will depart at nine.
Departure is a noun, so the verb you need here is leave or depart.
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NotOur departure is delayed of two hours.
SayOur departure is delayed by two hours.
Something is delayed by an amount of time, not delayed of it.
Departure or leaving or arrival?
- departure or leaving
- Departure is a noun you see on tickets, signs and in formal writing. In everyday speech people usually use the verb leave, as in 'What time do we leave?'
- departure or arrival
- Arrival is the opposite of departure. At an airport, departures are the flights that are leaving and arrivals are the flights that are coming in.
Departure is a B1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Departure word family and collocations
The words that go with departure, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- departure time
- departure gate
- departure lounge
- a delayed departure
- a departure from
Word family
- depart (verb)
- departure (noun)
- departing (adjective)
Similar words
- leaving
- exit
Opposites
- arrival
Questions about departure
What is the verb for departure?
The verb is depart, which is more formal than leave. You hear 'The train departs at six' in announcements, but in conversation most people say 'The train leaves at six.'
Is departure countable?
Yes. You can count departures, as in 'There are three departures to Boston every morning.' It is also used without an article in phrases like two hours before departure.
More travel words
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B2
souvenir
Something you buy or keep to remember a place or a trip. -
C1
linger
To stay somewhere longer than necessary, because you enjoy it or do not want to leave. -
B2
accommodation
A place to stay while you travel, such as a hotel, a hostel or an apartment. -
B2
timetable
A list that shows the times when buses, trains or planes leave and arrive. -
C1
overbooked
Having more people with reservations than there are seats or rooms available. -
B2
destination
The place where a person or thing is going, especially at the end of a journey.