Meaning & Definition of Away in English

1. Not present

• Having left

• "He's away right now"

• "You must not allow a stranger into the house when your mother is away"

2. Used of an opponent's ground

• "An away game"

3. (of a baseball pitch) on the far side of home plate from the batter

• "The pitch was away (or wide)"

• "An outside pitch"

1. From a particular thing or place or position (`forth' is obsolete)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"

• "Went off to school"

• "They drove off"

• "Go forth and preach"

2. From one's possession

• "He gave out money to the poor"

• "Gave away the tickets"

3. Out of the way (especially away from one's thoughts)

• "Brush the objections aside"

• "Pushed all doubts away"

4. 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"

5. 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"

6. 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"

7. So as to be removed or gotten rid of

• "Cleared the mess away"

• "The rotted wood had to be cut away"

8. Freely or at will

• "Fire away!"

9. 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. In a different direction

• "Turn aside"

• "Turn away one's face"

• "Glanced away"

11. In reserve

• Not for immediate use

• "Started setting aside money to buy a car"

• "Put something by for her old age"

• "Has a nest egg tucked away for a rainy day"