away
/əˈweɪ/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.62 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
adv
In or to something's usual or proper storage place.
adv
In or to a secure or out-of-the-way place.
Example Sentences
- "He went away on vacation."
- "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."
- "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."
- "I tried to approach him, but he turned away."
- "throw away, chuck away, toss away"
- "Christmas is only two weeks away."
Etymology
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”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈweɪ/
- British English: /əˈweɪ/