takeaway
Americannoun
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something taken back or away, especially an employee benefit that is eliminated or substantially reduced by the terms of a union contract.
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conclusions, impressions, or action points resulting from a meeting, discussion, roundtable, or the like.
The takeaway was that we had to do a lot more work on the proposal before it could be shown to the governing board.
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Chiefly British.
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a takeout restaurant.
Let's pick something up at the Indian takeaway.
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food from a takeout restaurant.
I get Chinese takeaway at least once a week.
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Sports.
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(in hockey and football) the act of getting the puck or ball away from the team on the offense.
The problem with most hockey statistics is they are not very consistent in how they determine takeaways and giveaways.
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(in golf) a backswing.
I got him a video entitled “Improving the Takeaway in Your Golf Swing” for his birthday.
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adjective
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of or relating to what is or can be taken away.
a list of takeaway proposals presented by management.
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Chiefly British. takeout.
Usage
What does takeaway mean? Takeaway is popularly used to mean the main thing you’ve learned, will remember, or need to take action on after having been presented with information, such as during a meeting or in a report. Take away is a common phrasal verb that’s used in a lot of contexts, and takeaway as a noun has a lot of different meanings. It’s sometimes spelled take-away. In the U. K., takeaway is the word for what Americans call takeout—food picked up from a restaurant to eat elsewhere, typically at home. It can also refer to the restaurant where you get it. In hockey and American football, a takeaway happens when the puck or ball is somehow taken away from the opposing team. Example: The biggest takeaway from the intern meeting was to not post pictures or videos on social media that could reflect badly on the company.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of takeaway
1930–35 for earlier sense “train car for carrying logs”; 1960–65 takeaway for def. 5; take + away
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The move comes after Prosus struck a deal last year to buy Just Eat Takeaway, a rival to both Delivery Hero and Uber.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
Takeaway: Venture Global and other LNG producers geared to the spot market are the big near-term winners.
From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026
The Belta Box channel went live on YouTube on Friday with initial clips from the duo's earlier TV series such as Byker Grove, SM:TV and Saturday Night Takeaway.
From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026
Takeaway: For high-income investors with appreciated crypto, this could be the last window to lock in full deduction value before the cap hits.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 5, 2025
Clear Takeaway for Patients and CliniciansDespite these limitations, the researchers describe their work as one of the most complete and current evaluations of exercise for managing knee osteoarthritis.
From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
