away

/əˈweɪ/

/əˈweɪ/

Other forms: aways

When something is away it’s not here or even nearby — it’s at a distance, like a friend who is on vacation in another country.

The word away describes something distant or removed from where you are. For example, when a sports team plays in another city or stadium outside of their hometown, it's called an "away game." Similarly, an item tossed in the trash is “thrown away.” The word also describes emotional distance, like when someone “drifts away” over time, meaning they aren't as close as they used to be in a relationship.

Definitions of away

1. adverb

   at a distance in space or time
   “the boat was 5 miles off (or away)”

   “the party is still 2 weeks off (or away)”

   “away back in the 18th century”

   synonyms: off
2. adverb

   from a particular thing or place or position (`forth' is obsolete)
   “ran away from the lion”

   “wanted to get away from there”

   “sent the children away to boarding school”

   “the teacher waved the children away from the dead animal”

   synonyms: forth, off
3. adverb

   in a different direction
   “turn away one's face”

   “glanced away”

   synonyms: aside
4. adjective

   not present; having left
   “he's away right now”

   “you must not allow a stranger into the house when your mother is away”

   synonyms:

   absent

   not being in a specified place
5. adjective

   used of an opponent's ground
   “an away game”

   antonyms:

   home

   used of your own ground
6. adjective

   (of a baseball pitch) on the far side of home plate from the batter
   “the pitch was away (or wide)”

   synonyms: outside

   inaccurate

   not exact
7. adverb

   from one's possession
   “gave away the tickets”

   synonyms: out
8. adverb

   out of the way (especially away from one's thoughts)
   “pushed all doubts away”

   synonyms: aside
9. adverb

   in or into a proper place (especially for storage or safekeeping)
   “put the toys away”

   “her jewels are locked away in a safe”

   “filed the letter away”
10. adverb

    in reserve; not for immediate use
    “has a nest egg tucked away for a rainy day”

    synonyms: aside, by
11. adverb

    so as to be removed or gotten rid of
    “cleared the mess away”

    “the rotted wood had to be cut away”
12. adverb

    out of existence
    “the music faded away”

    “"tried to explain away the affair of the letter"- H.E.Scudder”

    “idled the hours away”

    “her fingernails were worn away”
13. adverb

    indicating continuing action; continuously or steadily
    “he worked away at the project for more than a year”

    “the child kept hammering away as if his life depended on it”
14. adverb

    freely or at will
    “fire away!”