To put away is to return things to their proper place. Off the table, back in the drawer, out of sight.
It is one of the first phrasal verbs anybody learns, and it splits round an object, so you put the toys away. There are two darker senses worth knowing: putting somebody away means sending them to prison, and putting an animal away means having it destroyed. There is also a cheerful one about appetite, since putting away a large meal means eating all of it.
Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove, Cleaning & Housework
First appears in chapter 5 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word