takeout

American  

[teyk-out] / ˈteɪkˌaʊt /

Or take-out

noun

1. the act or fact of taking out.

2. something made to be taken out, especially food prepared in a store or restaurant to be carried out for consumption elsewhere.

3. Informal. a store, restaurant, or counter specializing in preparing food meant to be carried out for consumption elsewhere.

4. a section, as of a magazine, that may be removed intact, usually consisting of a story, article, or set of illustrations.

5. Also called takeout loan,.  Also called takedown.  Also called takeout mortgage.  Finance. a long-term real-estate mortgage arranged for a building the construction of which is financed by an interim short-term loan construction loan.

6. Cards.

   1. Bridge. a bid in a suit or denomination different from the one bid by one's partner.

   2. Poker. the minimum with which a player can begin.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or supplying food and drink to be taken out and consumed elsewhere.

   the takeout window of a restaurant.

2. Also of, relating to, or providing a takeout mortgage.

   The high-rise developer has found a takeout commitment from a large insurance company.

Etymology

Origin of takeout

First recorded in 1915–20; noun use of verb phrase take out

Explanation

When you order food from a restaurant but eat it at home, you can call it takeout. After a long week, you and your family might get takeout and eat it while watching a movie. You can use takeout as a noun or an adjective. All the takeout containers in your trash can may remind you that you haven't eaten homemade food in a while, but if there's an amazing Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood, it's hard to resist picking up nightly takeout. You can also use the terms carryout and takeaway, but takeout is the oldest of these, dating from around 1940.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

takeout

TTM is not necessarily a takeout candidate, Gabelli said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

I order food delivery as often as my wife will tolerate; our daughters love takeout and I get to keep working.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Because salt is typically added only after cooking and only if requested, these meals generally contained less salt than many other takeout options.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

We talked about the absolute thrill of ordering takeout in a city that was 30 degrees warmer than the one where we both lived, listing every little thing that was totally amazing around us.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

When they got home, the house was still dark, and Maya turned on lights as she made her way into the kitchen, then stashed her mom’s takeout chicken souvlaki in the refrigerator.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway