take away

UK/ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/US/ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/

phraseA22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To take away is to remove something — or to subtract one number from another. Both leave less than there was.

The removing sense is plain and splits round an object. The subtracting sense is how arithmetic is taught to children, so ten take away three is the first way anybody meets subtraction. British English has the noun a takeaway, meaning both a meal collected from a restaurant and the main point somebody should remember, which are two very different things sharing a word.

Definitions of take away

1phraseremoveTo remove something from a place or person.A2
“They will take away the old cooker when they deliver.”
2phrasetake awayTo subtract a number.A2
“Twelve take away five leaves seven.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 5 of A Man Called Ove.

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