Learn English – Can ‘leave’ mean ‘forget’

meaningmeaning-in-contextword-usage

In a conversation like:

Person 1: You can read a map, can’t you?

Person 2: Yes, I can. But I left my glasses in England.

Does the verb "leave" mean that Person 2 forgot to bring his glasses, or that he left them intentionally because he thought he wouldn't be in need for them?

Thank you.

Best Answer

The word left can mean leaving something behind deliberately or unintentionally (i.e., through forgetfulness).

So, for a sentence like:

I left my umbrella at home.

there is no way to tell if that was intentional or not. However, sometimes context will make it obvious which is case:

I meant to bring my hat, but I left it on the countertop.

Clearly that is an unintentional act, whereas:

I didn't think I'd need a map, so I left the atlas at home.

implies a deliberate decision as opposed to an act of forgetfulness.

M-W has two definitions which seem to account for both of these cases:

leave (verb)

a : to cause or allow to be or remain in a specified condition
leave the door open

b : to fail to include or take along
left the notes at home

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