away
- 01 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.
Simple“The cat ran away when it heard the loud noise from the street.”
In context“The suspect turned and walked away from the scene before the authorities could arrive to question the witnesses.”
- 02 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.
Simple“The nearest gas station is about five miles away from here.”
In context“The wedding is still six months away, yet the couple has already finalized the guest list and the venue.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.to do something continuously or with a lot of energy.
adv.indicating persistence, continuity, or intensity in an action.
Simple“She was working away at her computer late into the night.”
In context“The researchers have been chipping away at the problem for years, finally reaching a breakthrough in the last quarter.”
Synonyms - 04 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.
Simple“Please put your toys away before you go to bed.”
In context“After the dinner party, they carefully tucked the fine china away in the velvet-lined cabinet.”
- 05 A1 Beginner
adj.not present in a place; gone somewhere else for a while.
adj.not present in a given location; absent or traveling.
Simple“I will be away on vacation for the next two weeks.”
In context“The manager is currently away on a business trip and will not be responding to emails until Monday morning.”
- 06 A2 Elementary
adj.played at the opponent's ground rather than your own.
adj.relating to a game played at the opponent's stadium or grounds.
Simple“Our team has a difficult away game against the league leaders this Saturday.”
In context“The team struggled during their away fixtures this season, failing to secure a single victory outside their home stadium.”
Usage away from home · away from family · away from public
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.