away
/əˈweɪ
/adverb
1To or at a distance from a particular place or person: she landed badly, and crawled away they walked away from the vicarage in silence we’ll only be away for four nights...
- Residents from four neighbouring houses spent a night away from their homes as the house was sealed off.
- Several of the injured kids began to cry out in pain or crawl away from the gun shots.
- To his surprise the baby quickly struggled out and started crawling away from them.
Synonyms
off, from here, from there
aside, off, to one side
1.1At a specified distance: when he was ten or twelve feet away he stopped we have had patients from as far away as Wales...
- The offenders left in the waiting Honda, which was found abandoned a short distance away on Percival Walk.
- Princes Street, just a short distance away, had to endure only a few tens of thousand shoppers due to the bad weather!
- St Andrews travellers can, and do, access the rail network at Leuchars, only a short distance away.
1.2At a specified future distance in time: the wedding is only weeks away...
- Then there are areas with great potential for the future such as genetics but that potential is years away.
- A future more than ten minutes away doesn't really exist for a three year old.
- It was a hard shoot because we were basically housed in a small village about four hours away from Shanghai.
1.3Towards a lower level; downwards: in front of them the land fell away to the river...
- Continue north from Froswick and the land falls steeply away on both sides of the ridge.
- Of course, since they were temporary they have long fallen away to expose the disintegrating molars below.
- They following year it went up to 4,633 but has fallen away gradually ever since.
1.4Conceptually to one side, so as no longer to be the focus of attention: the Museum has shifted its emphasis away from research towards exhibitions...
- This drew attention away from the whole and focused it on the part, as all empiricist research tends to do.
- People need be entertained to take their attention away from conflict.
- Third, most crucially, acts of terror divert the attention of the masses away from collective action.
1.5(With reference to a sports fixture) at the opponents' ground: Oh what fun it is to see the Mariners win away we are away to Morecambe on Saturday...
- We won away only once last season so to win away this season is to get a monkey off our back.
- And we will then expect to beat them when they come to us so winning away is a big advantage.
- It's quite simple, you play everybody home and away in the league and whoever's top at the end wins.
2Into an appropriate place for storage or safekeeping: he put away the pistol...
- During its history the room was used for prayer, as secure storage to lock away treasures and as a Royal guest room.
- At present, no one can be sure how much of York's heritage is locked away for safe-keeping.
- The start of the race was delayed in comic style with Oxford unable to get back into their team bus where their kit was locked away.
Synonyms
at a distance, apart, isolated
3Into non-existence: Marie felt her distress ebbing away...
- He runs out of air and ever so slowly gets suffocated and finally dies away.
- And yet we let it rot away and die without ever tapping into the stories our elders have to tell.
- None of the businesses qualified as charities of course, so the Minute Pools died away.
4Constantly, persistently, or continuously: there was Morrissey crooning away...
- He is constantly picking away at the scab of his own dissatisfaction.
- I envisioned holding still for several seconds while a camera shutter clicked away.
- Not nearly as many as have crooned away to it at the kitchen sink of a Sunday morn as one of Steve Wright's love songs, I bet.
adjective
1(Of a sports fixture) played at the opponents' ground: tomorrow night’s away game at Leicester an away victory...
- The move follows a dramatic drop in football violence by Millwall fans at home and away matches.
- Kendal County's away match at Ambleside was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.
- As with all away match tickets they will be on sale to season ticket holders and members for a period of time and then go on general sale.
1.1Relating to or denoting a sports team that is playing at the opponents' ground: the away side scored first away fans chanted and cheered...
- Tickets for away fans are at the lower end of the price range.
- Things went from bad to worse as Cristiano Ronaldo bagged two more goals for the away side.
- My dad stopped going in the '80s because scary away fans brought hooligans.
noun
An away match or win.It certainly will prove a stark contrast to recent league aways the Hatters have enjoyed at the likes of Molineux, Maine Road and Hillsborough....
- Oviedo haven't been able to find the net in 10 away visits and may soon be vying for the record run of scoreless aways in Spain, currently standing at 12 matches.
- This year there's three big aways - Rome, Dublin, and Cardiff.
Phrases
away with
Origin
Old English onweg, aweg 'on one's way' (see a-2, way).