What does "away" mean?

1. (to another place) to or at a distance from a particular place, person, or thing. 2. (distance in space or time) at a certain distance from a place or a point in time. 3. (continuously) to do something continuously or with a lot of energy. 4. (storing something) putting something in its usual place, like a cupboard or drawer. 5. (absent) not present in a place; gone somewhere else for a while. 6. (sports) played at the opponent's ground rather than your own.

away — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01to another place

A1 · Beginner

adv. to or at a distance from a particular place, person, or thing.

adv. indicating movement to a distance or a position of separation from a specific point.

“The cat ran away when it heard the loud noise from the street.”

“The suspect turned and walked away from the scene before the authorities could arrive to question the witnesses.”

Synonyms

hence off elsewhere

Antonyms

here back

02distance in space or time

A2 · Elementary

adv. at a certain distance from a place or a point in time.

adv. denoting a specific interval of space or time from the present or a reference point.

“The nearest gas station is about five miles away from here.”

“The wedding is still six months away, yet the couple has already finalized the guest list and the venue.”

Synonyms

distant off

03continuously

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adv. to do something continuously or with a lot of energy.

adv. indicating persistence, continuity, or intensity in an action.

“She was working away at her computer late into the night.”

“The researchers have been chipping away at the problem for years, finally reaching a breakthrough in the last quarter.”

Synonyms

on continuously steadily

04storing something

A2 · Elementary

adv. putting something in its usual place, like a cupboard or drawer.

adv. indicating the movement of an object into a designated storage or secure location.

“Please put your toys away before you go to bed.”

“After the dinner party, they carefully tucked the fine china away in the velvet-lined cabinet.”

Synonyms

aside up

Antonyms

out

05absent

A1 · Beginner

adj. not present in a place; gone somewhere else for a while.

adj. not present in a given location; absent or traveling.

“I will be away on vacation for the next two weeks.”

“The manager is currently away on a business trip and will not be responding to emails until Monday morning.”

Synonyms

absent gone out

Antonyms

present here

06sports

A2 · Elementary Sports

adj. played at the opponent's ground rather than your own.

adj. relating to a game played at the opponent's stadium or grounds.

“Our team has a difficult away game against the league leaders this Saturday.”

“The team struggled during their away fixtures this season, failing to secure a single victory outside their home stadium.”

Synonyms

visiting

Antonyms

home

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “away” in context.

01. away from home 02. away from family 03. away from public 04. away from beaches 05. away like

From Middle English away, awey, awei, oway, o wey, on way, from Old English āweġ, onweġ (“away”), originally on weġ (“on one's way; onward; on”), equivalent to a- (“on”) + way. Cognate with Scots awa, away (“away”), Old Frisian aweg, awei (“away”), Saterland Frisian wäch, wääge (“away”), Dutch weg (“away”), German weg (“away”), Danish væk (“away”), Swedish i väg (“away; off; along”).

See aweigh.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.