take a French leave

A form of take French leave — To leave quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone; to slip out.

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Meanings

verbtake a French leave (third-person singular simple present takes a French leave, present participle taking a French leave, simple past took a French leave, past participle taken a French leave)

present singular third person takes a French leave · participle present taking a French leave · past took a French leave · participle past taken a French leave

  1. obsoleteObsolete form of take French leave, with particular reference to a single act.

    As for Ditton, after all his courting, and his compliment, he ſtole avvay an Iriſhman's bride, and took a French leave of me and his maſter; […]

    1771, [Tobias Smollett], “To Mrs. Mary Jones, at Brambleton-hall”, in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker […], volume II, London: […] W. Johnston, […]; and B. Collins, […], →OCLC, page 226
Cite this entry
APA

take a French leave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20a%20French%20leave

MLA

“take a French leave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20a%20French%20leave. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “take a French leave,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20a%20French%20leave.

Source: take a French leave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.