away

[ uh-wey ]

/ əˈweɪ /

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See synonyms for away on Thesaurus.com

adverb

from this or that place; off: to go away.

aside; to another place; in another direction: to turn your eyes away; to turn away customers

far; apart: away back; away from the subject.

out of one's possession or use: to give money away.

out of existence or notice; into extinction: to fade away; to idle away the morning.

incessantly or relentlessly; repeatedly: He kept hammering away.

without hesitation: Fire away.

adjective

absent; gone: to be away from home.

distant: six miles away.

immediately off and on the way: The order was given and he was away.

Sports. played in a ball park, arena, or the like, other than the one that is or is assumed to be the center of operations of a team: winners in their last three away games.Compare home (def. 15).

Baseball. having been put out: with two away in the top of the seventh.

Golf.

(of a golf ball) lying farthest from the hole.
(of a golfer) having hit such a ball and being required to play first.

Verb Phrases

do away with,

to get rid of; abolish; stop.
to kill: Bluebeard did away with all his wives.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about away

away with,

take away: Away with him!
go away! leave!: Away with you!

where away? (of something sighted from a ship) in which direction? where?

Origin of away

before 950; Middle English; Old English aweg, reduction of on weg.See on, a-¹, way¹

Words nearby away

aware, awareness, awash, A watched pot never boils, awato, away, awayday, away goal, away-going crop, awe, aweary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use away in a sentence

The real challenge would be we’re four weeks away from election.
Trump moves closer to Pelosi in economic aid talks, and House speaker must decide next move|Rachael Bade, Erica Werner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
I think that is something this industry makes you look away from.
Christian Puglisi Is Closing His Influential Copenhagen Restaurants. COVID Is Only Partly to Blame|Rafael Tonon|September 17, 2020|Eater
This is a situation that they thought they had the upper hand on politically, but that advantage seems to be slipping away.
Why House Democrats have good reason to be anxious about no coronavirus relief deal|Amber Phillips|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
It would go away without the vaccine, George, but it’s going to go away a lot faster with it.
Timeline: The 124 times Trump has downplayed the coronavirus threat|Aaron Blake, JM Rieger|September 17, 2020|Washington Post

It’s probably going to go away a lot faster now because of the vaccine.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Something like fluoride, which is too small for normal filters, yanks away that feeling of agency.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
He observes the bodies floating away on the river, pulling on his cigarette with a sneer.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So it might be me projecting my desires onto Archer to want to just get away from work for a few weeks.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But sources said that the evidence so far is pointing away from an ISIS connection.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In this war, the targeting is often happening on computer monitors thousands of miles away, capturing images from drones.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a decayed house of superb proportions, but of a fashion long passed away.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
She walked away toward another door, which was masked with a curtain that she lifted.
Confidence|Henry James
If you throw away this chance, you will both richly deserve to be hanged, as I sincerely trust you will be.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
The bear laughed and joined his companion, and the torpedo thundered away.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Nevertheless the evening and the night passed away without incident.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for away

away

/ (əˈweɪ) /

adverb

from a particular place; offto swim away

in or to another, usual, or proper placeto put toys away

apart; at a distanceto keep away from strangers

out of existencethe music faded away

indicating motion, displacement, transfer, etc, from a normal or proper place, from a person's own possession, etcto turn one's head away; to give away money

indicating activity that is wasteful or designed to get rid of somethingto sleep away the hours

continuouslylaughing away; fire away

away with a command for a person to go or be removedaway with you; away with him to prison!

far and away by a very great marginfar and away the biggest meal he'd ever eaten

from away Canadian from a part of Canada other than Newfoundland

adjective (usually postpositive)

not presentaway from school

distanthe is a good way away

having started; releasedhe was away before sunrise; bombs away!

(also prenominal) sport played on an opponent's groundan away game

golf (of a ball or player) farthest from the hole

baseball (of a player) having been put out

horse racing relating to the outward portion or first half of a race

noun

sport a game played or won at an opponent's ground

interjection

an expression of dismissal

Word Origin for away

Old English on weg on way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with away

away

see back away; bang away; blow away; break away; by far (and away); carry away; cart off (away); cast away; clear out (away); die away; do away with; draw away; eat away; explain away; fade out (away); fall away; fire away; fool away; fritter away; get away; get away with; give away; go away; hammer away; lay aside (away); make away with; out and away; pass away; peg away at; piss away; plug away at; pull away; put away; right away; run away; run away with; salt away; send away; shy away from; slink away; slip out (away); sock away; spirit away; square away; squirrel away; stow away; take away from; take one's breath away; tear away; throw away; tuck away; turn away; walk away from; walk off (away) with; waste away; wear off (away); whale away; when the cat's away; while away.

away

Idioms about away

Origin of away

Words nearby away

Words related to away

How to use away in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for away

Word Origin for away

Other Idioms and Phrases with away