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

Last year, Prosus agreed to sell most of its stake to get EU approval for its acquisition of Just Eat Takeaway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Takeaway: Expect the refiner stocks to sell-off once crack spreads return closer to normal.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 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

They went on to become a household name through appearances on other TV shows including Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Dancing on Ice and Emmerdale.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

Related Words

• outcome
• result
• upshot