takeaway

American  

[tayk-uh-way] / ˈteɪk əˌweɪ /

Or take-away

noun

• takeaways
  plural

1. something taken back or away, especially an employee benefit that is eliminated or substantially reduced by the terms of a union contract.

2. 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.

3. Chiefly British.

   1. a takeout restaurant.

      Let's pick something up at the Indian takeaway.

   2. food from a takeout restaurant.

      I get Chinese takeaway at least once a week.

4. Sports.

   1. (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.

   2. (in golf) a backswing.

      I got him a video entitled “Improving the Takeaway in Your Golf Swing” for his birthday.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to what is or can be taken away.

   a list of takeaway proposals presented by management.

2. 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

• takeaways
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of takeaway

1930–35 for earlier sense “train car for carrying logs”; 1960–65 takeaway for def. 5; take + away

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

takeaway takeaways

But my takeaway, as painful as it may be, is that you could end up fighting with this man for years, even after your teenage children go to college.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

The takeaway: Don’t book non-refundable airline tickets and hotel rooms for spring training.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

In some cases, the main takeaway is that a certain topic is not in a CEO’s wheelhouse and ought to be delegated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Still, the takeaway isn’t “A.I. translation bad, human translation good.”

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

Dad and Rashid went out to fetch an Indian takeaway for everyone.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Greek takeaways: What did we learn from Lionesses' win?

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

That was one of the key takeaways from a preview event and launch party that the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Katie Deighton attended in New York on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

“We’re searching for every possible way to give ourselves an advantage,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team lost at Buffalo last Sunday despite five takeaways and a plus-four turnover differential.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The quarterback struggled against the Bills, failing to capitalize on five takeaways from the Chargers’ defense.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

People are cooking, eating takeaways in the streets.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• outcome
• result
• upshot

---