Away Meaning
/əˈweɪ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
advFrom a place, hence.
advAside; off; in another direction.
Sentence Examples
You're just running away from life's problems.
I want a boat that will take me far away from here.
The beach is a mile away.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dog ran ____ from the loud fireworks in fear.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please put your toys ____ after you have finished playing with them.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English away, awey, awei, oway, o wey, on way, from Old English āweġ, onweġ (“away”), originally on weġ (“on one's way; onward; on”), equivalent to a- (“on”) + way. Cognate with Scots awa, away (“away”), Old Frisian aweg, awei (“away”), Saterland Frisian wäch, wääge (“away”), Dutch weg (“away”), German weg (“away”), Danish væk (“away”), Swedish i väg (“away; off; along”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"One of the hidden glories of Victorian engineering is proper drains. Isolating a city’s effluent and shipping it away in underground sewers has probably saved more lives than any medical procedure except vaccination."
— 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
"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:
"From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away."
— 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
"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:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The dog ran ____ from the loud fireworks in fear.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please put your toys ____ after you have finished playing with them.