leave for now

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "leave for now" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when indicating that something should be set aside or postponed temporarily. Example: "Let's leave for now the discussion about budget cuts and focus on the upcoming project deadlines."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

"He is not planning to leave for now.

BBC

If you can tell that the individual is getting more and more stressed or anxious as you are talking to them, then ask them if they are overloaded or offer to leave for now.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Friday declined to step into a dispute over the Obama administration's cancellation of a planned nuclear waste dump in the Nevada desert, saying the matter must be left for now to federal regulators.

The New York Times - Science

ESPN, by contrast, will be paying the old Big East about $20 million annually to carry a conference featuring Connecticut, Cincinnati, Temple and South Florida — which are not leaving, for now — in addition to Navy (in football only) and a group of new, mostly Southern universities.

The New York Times - Sports

What that leaves for now is a slow retreat by White House officials -- a day-by-day, fact-by-fact backing away from assertions they made with such confidence nine months ago.

The New York Times

Andreessen suggests he left for now owing to today's highly politicized environment, saying he feels "free as a bird" as a result.

TechCrunch

That leaves, for now, a relatively small group of homeowners whose loans are actually owned, instead of just serviced, by the five banks -- Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Ally Financial -- that signed onto the mortgage deal.

Huffington Post

On which unnerving thought, I will leave you, for now.

The New Yorker

We will also leave unexplored for now the offensive idea that simply adhering to one religion would be automatically disqualifying.

Huffington Post

But we'll leave that for now.

The Guardian - Sport

"Why not leave it for now," her husband suggested.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "leave for now" to indicate a temporary pause or setting aside of a topic, task, or discussion, implying that it will be revisited later. For example, "Let's leave the budget discussion for now and focus on the project deliverables."

Common error

Avoid using "leave for now" if there is no intention of returning to the subject or task. If something is being permanently abandoned, use phrases like "abandoned", "discarded" or "dismissed" instead.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "leave for now" functions as a temporal marker, indicating that an action or discussion is being temporarily suspended. This is supported by Ludwig, which provides examples where it's used to defer topics.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

66.66%

Wiki

33.33%

Science

0%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "leave for now" is a grammatically sound and versatile expression used to indicate the temporary setting aside of a subject or task, with the clear implication of revisiting it later. As confirmed by Ludwig, it's most commonly found in news and media contexts, maintaining a neutral register suitable for a broad audience. When using "leave for now", ensure there is a genuine intention to return to the matter at a later time; otherwise, alternative phrases like "abandon" or "discard" may be more appropriate. Remember that the phrase is useful for managing expectations and maintaining open possibilities in communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

set aside for the moment

Emphasizes temporary suspension of consideration or activity.

put on hold temporarily

Highlights the act of pausing something with the intention of resuming later.

postpone temporarily

Highlights the act of delaying something with the intention of resuming later.

defer until later

Formally postpones action or discussion to a future time.

table for the time being

Suggests formally setting aside a topic in a meeting or discussion.

shelve for now

Indicates putting something aside, possibly indefinitely, but with the implication of potential future retrieval.

hold off for the present

Implies delaying an action in the immediate term.

leave it at that for now

Conveys a sense of finality for the current discussion, with the possibility of revisiting later.

suspend for the interim

Suggests a formal or official pause in proceedings.

adjourn for the moment

Implies a temporary break or cessation, often in a formal setting.

FAQs

What does "leave for now" mean?

The phrase "leave for now" means to postpone or set something aside temporarily, implying that it will be revisited or continued at a later time. It suggests a deliberate pause rather than a permanent abandonment.

When is it appropriate to use "leave for now" in a sentence?

Use "leave for now" when you want to indicate that a discussion, task, or subject is being temporarily set aside but will be returned to later. It's suitable when you need to shift focus but don't want to forget or abandon the initial topic.

What are some alternatives to "leave for now"?

You can use alternatives like "set aside for now", "put on hold temporarily", or "defer until later" depending on the context.

How does "leave for now" differ from "abandon" or "ignore"?

"Leave for now" implies a temporary pause with the intention of revisiting, whereas "abandon" suggests a permanent cessation, and "ignore" indicates a deliberate lack of attention. The key difference lies in the intent to return to the subject at a later time.