1 A2 neutral
To remove someone or something from a place and move them or it elsewhere
"The police took the suspect away for questioning."
separable
take away
A2 neutral separable transitive
To remove something or someone from a place; to subtract a number; or to carry food home from a restaurant
In plain English
Remove something and bring it somewhere else; or subtract a number
What does "take away" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
To subtract one number from another (used especially when teaching children)
"If you take away three from ten, you get seven."
separable
3 A2 neutral
(British English) To buy food at a restaurant or café to eat elsewhere rather than on the premises
"Could I get a large coffee to take away, please?"
separable
4 B1 idiomatic neutral
To deprive someone of something valuable, such as a right, feeling, or quality
"Nothing can take away the joy of that moment — it will stay with me forever."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To take something and carry it away — largely transparent.
Actually means
Remove something and bring it somewhere else; or subtract a number
Usage tip
One of the most common and versatile phrasal verbs in English. The food sense ('takeaway') is predominantly British; Americans say 'takeout'. In mathematics education, 'take away' is used to teach subtraction to young learners. The emotional sense ('nothing can take away this feeling') is also frequent.
Words that pair with "take away"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
rights freedom pain food number privilege
How to conjugate "take away"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
take away
I/you/we/they
3rd person
takes away
he/she/it
Past simple
took away
yesterday
Past participle
taken away
have + pp
-ing form
taking away
continuous
Hear "take away" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "take away" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.