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Webster 1913 Edition

Away

A-way′

,
adv.
[AS.
aweg
,
anweg
,
onweg
;
on
on +
weg
way.]
1.
From a place; hence.
The sound is going
away
.
Shakespeare
Have me
away
, for I am sore wounded.
2 Chron. xxxv. 23.
2.
Absent; gone; at a distance;
as, the master is
away
from home
.
3.
Aside; off; in another direction.
The axis of rotation is inclined
away
from the sun.
Lockyer.
4.
From a state or condition of being; out of existence.
Be near me when I fade
away
.
Tennyson.
5.
By ellipsis of the verb, equivalent to an imperative: Go or come away; begone; take away.
And the Lord said . . .
Away
, get thee down.
Exod. xix. 24.
6.
On; in continuance; without intermission or delay;
as, sing
away
.
[Colloq.]
☞ It is much used in phrases signifying moving or going from; as, go away, run away, etc.; all signifying departure, or separation to a distance. Sometimes without the verb; as, whither away so fast ? “Love hath wings, and will away.”
Waller.
It serves to modify the sense of certain verbs by adding that of removal, loss, parting with, etc.; as, to throw away; to trifle away; to squander away, etc. Sometimes it has merely an intensive force; as, to blaze away.
Away with
,
bear, abide
.
[Obs. or Archaic]
“The calling of assemblies, I can not
away with
.” (
Isa. i. 13
), i. e., “I can not bear or endure [it].” –
Away with
one,
signifies, take him away.
“Away with him, crucify him.”
John xix. 15.
–
To make away with
.
(a)
To kill or destroy.
(b)
To carry off.

Webster 1828 Edition

Away

AWA'Y

,
adv.
[See Way.]
1.
Absent; at a distance; as, the master is away from home.
Have me away, for I am wounded. 2Chron. 35.
2.
It is much used with words signifying moving or going from; as, go away, send away, run away, &c.; all signifying departure, or separation to a distance. Sometimes without the verb; as, whither away so fast.
Love hath wings and will away.
3.
As an exclamation, it is a command or invitation to depart; away, that is, be gone, or let us go. 'Away with him.' Take him away.
4.
With verbs, it serves to modify their sense and form peculiar phrases; as,
To throw away, to cast from, to give up, dissipate or foolishly destroy.
To trifle away, to lose or expend in trifles, or in idleness.
To drink away, to squander away, &c., to dissipate in drinking or extravagance.
To make away, is to kill or destroy.
5.
Away with has a peculiar signification in the phrase, 'I cannot away with it.' Isa. 1. The sense is, 'I cannot bear or endure it.'

Definition 2024

away

away

See also: awey

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • enPR: əwā', IPA(key): /əˈweɪ/
  • Rhymes: -eɪ
  • Homophone: aweigh
  • Hyphenation: a‧way

Adverb

away ‎(comparative further away, superlative furthest away)

  1. From a place, hence.
    He went away on vacation.‎
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      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.
    • 2014 June 14, “It's a gas”, in The Economist, volume 411, number 8891:
      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.
  2. Aside; off; in another direction.
  3. From a state or condition of being; out of existence.
  4. (as imperative, by ellipsis) Come away; go away; take away.
    • 1933+, Fran Striker, The Lone Ranger, WXYZ-AM
      Hi-yo Silver, away!
  5. On; in continuance; without intermission or delay.
    sing away‎
  6. Without restraint.
    You've got questions? Ask away!‎
  7. Being so engaged for the entire time.
    That's where tourists go to hear great Cuban bands and dance the night away.‎
  8. At a distance in time or space.
    Christmas is only two weeks away.‎
    • 1948, Carey McWilliams, North from Mexico / The Spanish-Speaking People of The United States, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 25,
      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.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      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.
Synonyms
Translations

Interjection

away

  1. (Northern England) come on!; go on!

Adjective

away ‎(comparative further away, superlative furthest away)

  1. Not here, gone, absent, unavailable, traveling; on vacation.
    The master is away from home.
    Would you pick up my mail while I'm away.
  2. (following the noun modified) At a specified distance in space, time, or figuratively.
    He's miles away by now.
    Spring is still a month away.
  3. (chiefly sports) Not on one's home territory.
    Next, they are playing away in Dallas.
  4. (baseball, following the noun modified) Out.
    Two men away in the bottom of the ninth.
Translations

Derived terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: while · again · also · #146: away · against · though · get

Etymology 2

Adjective

away ‎(comparative more away, superlative most away)

  1. Misspelling of aweigh.

Cebuano

Noun

away

  1. fight, quarrel

Quechua

Verb

away

  1. (transitive) To weave.

Conjugation

See also

  • sinp'ay

Etymology

From Middle English away, awey, awei, oway, o wey, on way, from Old English aweġ, onweġ ‎(“away”), originally on weġ ‎(“on one's way; onward; on”), equivalent to a- ‎(“on”) +‎ way. Cognate with Scots awa, away ‎(“away”). Compare also Saterland Frisian wäch, wääge ‎(“away”), Dutch weg ‎(“away”), German weg ‎(“away”), Danish væk ‎(“away”), Swedish i väg ‎(“away; off; along”).

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