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leave out — 2 meanings

One phrase, 2 different jobs. Tap a meaning to jump to it — then lock each one in by saying it out loud.

phrasal verb2 meanings
  1. 1 omitTo not include something, either by accident or on purpose.
  2. 2 exclude someoneTo not allow someone to join an activity or group.

All meanings, in depth

Ordered by how often you'll hear each one — the meaning tells you what it does, the examples and tips show it in use.

1

omit

B1leave out sthMost common

To not include something, either by accident or on purpose.

You left out the most important part of the story.

A: Did you write down everyone's name?
B: Oh no, I think I left out Sarah by mistake.

In my opinion, the report was well-written, but it left out some key statistics that would have made the argument stronger.

Common mistake

✗You left out to mention the date.

✓You left out the date. / You forgot to mention the date.

'Leave out + thing' (omit it). Don't follow it with 'to + verb'.

Tell it apart

You left out the most important point.

omitted it

They left him out of the team.

excluded the person
Use 'leave out' when you forget or decide not to include something in a list, story, or group.Not the same as 'leave behind' (to forget to take something with you).

Often paired with

leave out
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2

exclude someone

B2leave out person

To not allow someone to join an activity or group.

He felt hurt because his friends left him out of their weekend plans.

A: Why didn't you invite Tom to the meeting?
B: It wasn't on purpose—we didn't mean to leave him out.

Sometimes, students feel left out if they are new to a class and others already know each other.

Common mistake

✗They always leave out me.

✓They always leave me out.

With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle — 'leave me out', not 'leave out me'.

Tell it apart

They left me out of the plans.

excluded me

I left out a sentence by mistake.

omitted it
Use 'leave out' to talk about someone not being included, often making them feel ignored.Different from 'leave alone' (to not bother someone).

Often paired with

leave out
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omitexclude someone