Take away: meaning, definitions and examples

Use this phrase when you mean to physically take something from a location. It can also mean removing an abstract idea or amount.

• The waiter will take away the dishes after you're finished
• What did you take away from the meeting?

This is a general term used for eliminating or taking something away from a place or position, whether physical or abstract. It implies a deliberate action.

• Please remove your shoes before entering the house
• The manager decided to remove the outdated policy

This word is used in more formal or technical contexts, often indicating the removal of something specific or valuable from a larger whole, such as a substance, information, or a tooth.

• The dentist had to extract the damaged tooth
• Scientists worked to extract DNA from the samples

Used in mathematical contexts to mean taking one quantity away from another.

• If you subtract 5 from 10, you get 5
• The teacher taught the students how to subtract fractions

This term is commonly used in British English to describe food that is prepared by a restaurant or cafe and taken off the premises to be eaten elsewhere.

• I don't feel like cooking tonight; let's just get some take away.
• She ordered Indian take away for the party.

This term is used in American English to refer to food purchased at a restaurant to be eaten outside the establishment. It's very similar in usage to 'carryout'.

• We had Chinese takeout last night.
• She always orders takeout on Fridays.

This is primarily an American English term which refers to food purchased from a restaurant to be eaten elsewhere. It can sometimes apply to any item that is taken out of a store.

• He picked up some carryout on his way home from work.
• They preferred carryout meals so they could eat while watching their favorite show.