takeaway

American  

[teyk-uh-wey] / 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.

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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 it’s also a savvy, deliberative portrait of leadership in a fractured time, with a unique takeaway: Knowing oneself is as essential to the job as knowing who one’s friends and enemies are.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026

The abundance of takeaway meals has become one of the movement's more unusual features.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Fish and chips is a staple takeaway for families across the south, but how have rising fish and energy prices affected how much this classic meal costs?

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

That was the takeaway of a recent Wall Street Journal survey that asked 2,000 people what economic class they felt they belonged to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

I know Babs is usually at Birdie’s no later than seven-thirty for an eight o’clock opening, when they do tea-and-pastry takeaway.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

The fundamental takeaways are that the same argument which supports index funds and stock-market investing — namely that they have worked in the past — supports investing in momentum.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

The human personality resists easy analysis — that is surely one of Aviv’s takeaways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Here's a look at the three biggest takeaways from an eventful Monday morning for America's judicial branch.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Here are the main takeaways from the report released by the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development Wednesday:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Before showers or takeaways or anything else, there’s something I have to do.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Related Words

• outcome
• result
• upshot