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Go out, leave, or exit
Go out is to leave home for fun or a walk; leave is to go away from a place; exit is to leave in a formal way, or the way out as a noun.
Quick rule
Which place are you leaving? Leave. Going out to have fun? Go out. A sign or the way out? Exit.
To leave your home to have fun or go somewhere. If you name the place you leave, it takes of: go out of the house.
To go away from a place: leave the room, leave home. The place comes straight after it. Past tense: left.
To leave a place, the way notices and signs say it: exit the building. It is also a noun: the way out.
How to choose
| Question | go out | leave | exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it going out to have fun or take a walk (___ tonight)? | Yes | No | No |
| Does the place follow directly, with no of (___ the room)? | SometimesSometimes | Yes | Yes |
| Can it also be a noun, the way out (the ___)? | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
All three describe moving out of a place, but with different focus. Go out is about the outing, leave is about the place you are leaving, and exit is the sign version.
How each one works
Go out
Going out to have fun
Do you want to go out tonight?
go out with + people
She goes out with her friends every Saturday.
Getting outside
The cat wants to go out.
Leave
leave + place
She leaves work at five.
Going away from a place
Please leave the room quietly.
Past tense: left
They left the concert early.
Exit
exit + place, in a notice
Please exit the building through the back door.
Noun: the way out
The exit is on your left.
Leaving a stage
The singer exited the stage to loud applause.
What comes next
go out plus with or for plus something
We went out for pizza after the game.
go out plus of plus place
He went out of the kitchen quickly.
leave plus place or for plus place
We leave for the station at noon.
exit plus place
Passengers must exit the train here.
Set phrases
Go out
- go out with someone
- have a romantic relationship with someone
Leave
- leave for work
- start your trip to your job
Exit
- fire exit
- a door for leaving a building in a fire
Almost the same
The dog went out of the yard.
With of and a place.
The dog left the yard.
No of: the place follows.
The dog exited the yard.
More formal, like a notice.
In a conversation
- A:
What time do you leave work on Fridays?
- B:
Around five. Then I usually go out with friends.
- A:
Where do you go?
- B:
A little pizza place near the subway exit.
- A:
Sounds good. Can I join you this week?
- B:
Sure. We meet outside at six.
Common mistakes
Wrong: I want to go out my job.
Right: I want to leave my job.
Go out does not take a job or a group directly. To stop working somewhere, use leave.
Wrong: We exit tonight with friends for dinner.
Right: We go out tonight with friends for dinner.
Exit is leaving a place, not going out for fun. For dinner with friends, use go out.
Memory trick
If a place follows with no of, leave is the simplest choice (go out the door exists too). If it is going out for fun, go out. If you read it on a sign or it is the way out, exit.
It depends
- Exit on signs
- Signs and announcements say exit; in speech, people say leave.
- Leave also means to put down
- With an object that is not a place, leave can mean to let something stay: leave the keys here.
FAQ
Go out vs leave: what is the difference?
Go out is to leave home for a purpose such as fun. Leave is to go away from a place.
Leave vs exit?
Both mean to go out of a place. Exit is common on signs; leave is the everyday verb.
Go out vs leave vs exit?
Go out is for fun, leave is for places, and exit is for signs and formal notices.