The phrasal verb 'leave out' is more commonly used in informal contexts rather than formal ones, although it can appear in formal writing, especially in contexts where conciseness is valued. In general usage, 'leave out' means to exclude or omit something or someone from a larger group or activity. It often implies that the exclusion is accidental or was done without malice, but can also suggest deliberate omission depending on the context. You might use 'leave out' when talking about writing or editing documents (leaving out details), social settings (leaving out a person from an invitation), or instructions (leaving out steps in a procedure). It's flexible across various contexts, making it a useful and versatile expression in both spoken and written English.
B1
PreIntermediate
1. To not include something or someone, often accidentally or as an oversight.
She forgot to invite Sam and ended up leaving him out of the party.
Make sure you don't leave any important details out of the report.
2. To intentionally exclude something or someone from an activity, group, or plan.
He didn't want to leave anyone out, so he double-checked the list.
They decided to leave out the dessert to make the meal healthier.