away

Adverb

away (not comparable)

1. From a place, hence.
   • He went away on vacation.
   • The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments[…]; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   at bay, off, off-, ab-, apo-, de-, out-, afield

2. Aside; off; in another direction.
   • I tried to approach him, but he turned away.
3. Aside, so as to discard something.
   • throw away, chuck away, toss away
4. At a stated distance in time or space.
   • Christmas is only two weeks away.
   • While De Anza was exploring the Bay of San Francisco, seeking a site for the presidio, the American colonists on the eastern seaboard, three thousand miles away, were celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25
5. In or to something's usual or proper storage place.
   • I'll dry the dishes and you put them away.
   • Please file away these documents.
6. In or to a secure or out-of-the-way place.
   • The jewels were locked away in the safe.
   • He was shut away in the castle tower for six months.
7. From a state or condition of being; out of existence.
   • fade away, die away
   • I'll sleep the rest of the day away/out and, hopefully, I'll manage to sleep this hangover off/away.
8. So as to remove or use up something.
   • The weather has worn away the inscription, and it is no longer legible.
   • Please wipe away this spilled drink.
9. (by ellipsis) Come away; go away; take away.
   • Away! Be gone! And don't let me see you round here again!
   • 1933+, Fran Striker, The Lone Ranger, WXYZ-AM
     Hi-yo Silver, away!
10. On; in continuance; without intermission or delay.
    • She's been in her room all day, working away at her computer.
11. Without restraint.
    • You've got questions? Ask away!
    • I saw her whaling away at her detractors.

Interjection

1. (Scotland, dismissal) Away with you! Go away! Begone!

Adjective

away (not comparable)

1. Not here, gone, absent, unavailable, traveling; on vacation.
   • The master is away from home on a course.
   • Would you pick up my mail while I'm away.
2. At a specified distance in space, time, or figuratively.
   • He's miles away by now.
   • Spring is still a month away.
3. Not on one's home territory.
   • This is the entrance for away supporters.
   • Next, they are playing away in Dallas.
4. (following the noun modified) Out.
   • Two men away in the bottom of the ninth.
5. Being the player whose ball lies farthest from the hole (or, in disc golf, whose disc lies farthest from the target).
   • For example, immediately after every person in the group has teed off, if you are clearly the away player (perhaps because you smacked your drive into the tree closest to the tee pad), you should grab your bag and try to be the first person advancing down the fairway.2016, Justin Menickelli, Ryan Pickens, Definitive Guide to Disc Golf

Verb

away (third-person singular simple present aways, present participle awaying, simple past and past participle awayed)

1. (Scotland, intransitive, poetic) To depart; to go to another place.
   • At 9 o'clock sharp he awayed to bed.
   • I'll away up the road.