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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of takeaway

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

takeaway takeaways

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

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

Perhaps the most significant takeaway is that renters are getting older, even if younger adults still make up the largest share of the renting population.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

If there was only one takeaway to be had from this weekend’s punk rock mini-festival at the Belasco, Fight To Unite, it was that the scene’s strong community is absolutely still alive and well.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Barrett has worked on seven Living Planet reports, but he said this was the first where the takeaway message was to focus on hope.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

“So’s my stomach,” replied Rio, who’d stopped in front of a takeaway stall with a display case full of pasties.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

This year, nothing is working well — although the defense did turn in a gem for three quarters in the Week 3 loss at Buffalo, including five takeaways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Here are the main takeaways from the Commerce Department’s report released Thursday:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The BBC's North America editor Sarah Smith breaks down the main takeaways from the two day event.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Here are the key takeaways from his address.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

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

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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Related Words

• outcome
• result
• upshot

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