What does "walk away from" mean (sense 1)?

To deliberately leave or abandon a commitment, relationship, or situation. Example: "She finally found the courage to walk away from the toxic relationship."

What does "walk away from" mean (sense 2)?

To survive an accident or dangerous situation by walking away from it physically. Example: "He walked away from the explosion with nothing worse than a torn jacket."

What does "walk away from" mean (sense 3)?

To decline or withdraw from a business deal or negotiation. Example: "The company chose to walk away from the merger when the conditions changed."

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walk away from

B1 neutral inseparable transitive

To deliberately leave or abandon a person, situation, or commitment.

In plain English

To choose to leave something behind — like a job, a relationship, or a problem — and not deal with it anymore.

What does "walk away from" mean?

3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 B1 idiomatic neutral

very common

To deliberately leave or abandon a commitment, relationship, or situation.

"She finally found the courage to walk away from the toxic relationship."

inseparable

2 B2 neutral

common

To survive an accident or dangerous situation by walking away from it physically.

"He walked away from the explosion with nothing worse than a torn jacket."

inseparable

3 B2 idiomatic neutral

common

To decline or withdraw from a business deal or negotiation.

"The company chose to walk away from the merger when the conditions changed."

inseparable

Literal vs figurative

Words literally mean

To walk in a direction away from something specific — fairly transparent.

Actually means

To choose to leave something behind — like a job, a relationship, or a problem — and not deal with it anymore.

Usage tip

Closely related to 'walk away' but always takes a specific object. Often implies a decisive, voluntary choice to abandon something. Frequently used in emotional or dramatic contexts. Also used in literal physical contexts.

Words that pair with "walk away from"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

relationship deal career responsibility accident negotiation

How to conjugate "walk away from"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base

walk away from

I/you/we/they

3rd person

walks away from

he/she/it

Past simple

walked away from

yesterday

Past participle

walked away from

have + pp

-ing form

walking away from

continuous

Hear "walk away from" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "walk away from" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "walk away from"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

abandon desert give up leave behind quit turn one's back on

Keep exploring

Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.

All phrasal verbs with "walk" All phrasal verbs with "away" More B1-level phrasal verbs