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verb + away

167 phrasal verbs

abstract away from
C1

To mentally ignore specific details in order to focus on the general or essential aspects of something.

back away
B1

To move backwards away from someone or something, or to withdraw from a position or commitment.

bang away
B2

To continue doing something persistently, noisily, or energetically, especially shooting, typing, or working.

bargain away
B2

To lose or surrender something valuable through negotiation, usually carelessly or unwisely.

bat away
B1

To deflect, dismiss, or push something aside with a batting movement; to ward off questions or criticism.

bear away
C1

To carry or take something away, especially as a prize or reward; in sailing, to steer away from the wind.

beaver away
B2

To work hard and industriously at something for a long period of time.

blast away
B2

To fire weapons continuously; to attack or demolish something with great force; or to proceed energetically at a task.

blaze away
B2

To fire weapons rapidly and continuously; or to burn intensely with bright flames; or to work or speak with great energy.

blow away

To move something with a strong gust of wind, to impress someone greatly, or to defeat decisively.

boil away
B1

To disappear as steam or vapour through continued boiling, or to continue boiling steadily.

book away
B2

To make a reservation or booking in advance, often well ahead of the date needed.

bottle away
C1

To store or preserve something in bottles; or figuratively, to put feelings or experiences away for safekeeping.

break away

bring away

brush away
B1

To remove something with a light sweeping motion, or to dismiss a feeling or memory as if it could be physically swept away.

burn away

call away
B1

To require or summon someone to leave what they are doing and go to another place or task.

cannot away with
C1

An archaic or dialectal expression meaning to be unable to tolerate or endure something.

carry away
B1

To remove something or someone by carrying, or (figuratively) to cause someone to become so excited or emotional that they lose self-control

cart away
B2

To remove something in large quantities or bulky items, typically using a vehicle or cart.

cast away

chase away
A2

To force a person, animal, or feeling to leave by chasing or pursuing them.

chat away
B1

To talk in a relaxed, continuous, and friendly way for a period of time.

chip away

chuck away
B1

To throw something away or discard it, often carelessly or wastefully

chug away
B2

To keep working or moving steadily, often slowly and with effort, or to make a continuous engine-like sound while doing so

claw away
C1

To scratch or scrape at something persistently, or to struggle and work hard to achieve something.

clear away
A2

To remove objects from a surface or area to make it tidy and clear.

come away
B1

To leave a place or situation, especially with a particular feeling or result; or for a part of something to become detached.

cut away
B1

To remove something by cutting it; or in film/TV, to switch suddenly to a different shot or scene.

die away
B1

To gradually become quieter, weaker, or less noticeable until it disappears.

do away with
B1

To abolish, eliminate, or get rid of something permanently; informally, to kill someone.

drain away

draw away

drive away
A2

To leave a place in a vehicle, or to cause someone or something to leave or stay away.

drop away
B2

To become less in amount or strength, or to slope downward sharply.

eat away
B2

To gradually destroy or damage something through a slow, continuous process.

eat away at
B2

To gradually damage, reduce, or emotionally trouble something or someone.

explain away
B2

To give reasons or excuses for something problematic in a way that minimizes it or tries to make it seem unimportant.

fade away
B1

To gradually become less intense, visible, strong, or noticeable until eventually gone or almost gone.

fall away
B2

To gradually decrease, disappear, or detach from something.

fend away
C1

To push back or repel someone or something; an archaic/rare variant of 'fend off'.

fetch away
C1

A nautical term meaning (of equipment or cargo) to break loose or come free from its securing point.

fiddle away
B2

To waste time or resources by spending them on unimportant, trivial activities.

fie away
C1

An archaic exclamation used to express strong moral disapproval, disgust, or contempt, dismissing someone or something as shameful.

figure away
C1

Not an established standard phrasal verb in English. Not found in major dictionaries.

file away
B2

To store documents or information in an organized system, or to mentally store a piece of information for later use.

fill away
C1

In sailing, to let the sails fill with wind and allow the vessel to gain speed, often after being held up or close to the wind.

fire away
B1

To tell someone they are free to begin asking questions or speaking, or to shoot continuously.

flag away
C1

To signal with a flag or hand gesture for someone or something to move away or continue.

fold away
A2

To fold something into a compact shape and store it out of the way.

fool away
C1

To waste time, money, or an opportunity through foolish or irresponsible behavior.

footle away
C1

To waste time or an opportunity on trivial or pointless activities.

frit away
C1

A dialectal or shortened variant of 'fritter away': to waste time, money, or resources in small, pointless amounts.

fritter away
B2

To waste time, money, or opportunities by spending them on many small, unimportant things over a period of time.

fuck away
C1

Vulgar slang meaning to squander or waste something through carelessness or recklessness.

get away

To escape from a person, place, or situation, or to take a break by going somewhere.

get away with

To do something wrong or risky without facing consequences or being caught.

give away
A2

To give something to someone for free, to reveal a secret unintentionally, or to escort a bride at a wedding.

glance away
B1

To quickly move one's eyes away from something, usually to avoid eye contact or because of discomfort.

go away
A2

To leave a place; to take a trip; or (of a problem) to disappear.

grow away from
B2

To gradually become emotionally or ideologically distant from someone or something as you develop and change.

hack away
B1

To keep cutting or striking something forcefully and repeatedly; to persist at a difficult task with energy.

hammer away
B1

To work at something persistently and with great energy; also to repeat a point or argument forcefully and continuously.

hand away
B1

To give something to someone else, often permanently or freely.

hide away
B1

To put something in a secret place, or to go somewhere private and secluded.

hit away
B2

To continue hitting or striking something repeatedly and energetically.

inch away
B2

To move away from something or someone very slowly and carefully, in tiny increments.

interpret away
C1

To remove or neutralize the problematic aspects of something by reinterpreting its meaning, often in a self-serving way.

jaw away

keep away

keep away from

laugh away

lay away

lock away

look away
A2

To turn your eyes in a different direction, away from something you were looking at or do not want to see.

love away
C1

To remove or heal something (usually pain, sadness, or fear) through love and affection.

make away
C1

To leave quickly; to flee or escape. (Also an archaic expression for killing oneself.)

make away with
B2

To steal something and escape with it; or (formal/archaic) to kill someone or to destroy something.

melt away
B1

To gradually disappear or dissolve, either literally (like ice or snow) or figuratively (like stress or a crowd).

move away
A2

To leave a place where you have been living and go to live somewhere else; also to change direction away from something.

pack away
A2

To put things into a container or storage space, especially by folding or arranging them neatly.

pass away
A2

A gentle, respectful way of saying that someone has died.

peel away

peg away

pick away at
B2

To work at something slowly and persistently, gradually reducing or making progress, or to find fault in something continually.

piddle away
C1

To waste money, time, or resources on trivial or unimportant things, gradually and pointlessly.

pine away

piss away

plate away
C1

In electroplating, to deposit a layer of metal onto a surface through an electrochemical process.

play away
B2

To play a sports match at the opponent's ground; or to be sexually unfaithful to a partner.

plug away
B2

To continue working hard at something difficult or tedious with steady determination

pull away

push away
B1

To physically move someone or something away, or to emotionally reject or distance oneself from someone.

put away
A2

To return something to its proper storage place; also to eat or drink large amounts, send someone to prison, or save money.

roar away
B2

To leave a place at high speed, making a loud roaring noise, especially of a vehicle or engine.

roll away
A2

To move away from a place by rolling, or to cause something to move away by rolling.

rot away
B1

To decompose or decay completely and slowly over time.

rub away
B1

To remove something by rubbing continuously, or to gradually disappear as a result of rubbing.

run away

To flee from a place or person, or to avoid dealing with a problem.

run away from

run away together

run away with

salt away
B2

To save money, especially large amounts, secretly or for future use.

scare away
A2

To cause a person or animal to leave by frightening them.

scurry away
B2

To move away quickly with short, rapid steps, often in a furtive or nervous manner

sell away

send away

send away for

shoo away

show away

shrink away

shut away

shy away

shy away from

sign away

skurry away

slattern away

slave away

slip away

slog away

slug away

smooth away

soak away

sock away

spirit away

sport away

square away

squirrel away

stash away

stay away

steal away

store away

stow away

strip away

sweep away

swing away

tail away

take away

take away from

teach away

tear away

throw away

To discard something one no longer needs, or to waste an opportunity or resource.

tick away

toss away

trade away

trail away

tuck away

turn away

walk away

walk away from

walk away with

wash away

waste away

wave away

wear away

whale away

wheel away

while away

whisk away

whittle away

wipe away

wire away

wish away

wither away

work away