away

/əˈweɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈweɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈwā/ (ame, mw)

away — adverb

1. leaving the place where you are now, or moving to a spot that is not here.

1.副詞A2
釋義

leaving the place where you are now, or moving to a spot that is not here.

例句

Renata walked away from the bus stop and crossed the street.

verb of motion + away from + place

The frightened deer bounded away into the dark forest.

verb of motion + away into + place

同義詞
  • off

    more abrupt, often used with sudden movement: 'ran off'

  • out

    stresses leaving an enclosed space rather than the current spot

反義詞
  • back

    returning toward the original spot

  • here

    the place you are leaving from

文法句型

verb + away

away from + noun

用法筆記

Frequently follows verbs of motion (walk, run, drive, move) and gesture verbs (push, pull, wave, turn). The destination is often introduced by 'from'.

常見錯誤

❌She walked away the school.
✅She walked away from the school.
💡use 'from' before the place you are leaving.

2. used after a measure of distance to say how far one place lies from another in p

2.副詞A2
釋義

used after a measure of distance to say how far one place lies from another in physical space.

例句

The new library is only two blocks away from my apartment.

[distance] + away from + place

Linnea lives just five minutes away by bicycle.

[time] + away by + transport

同義詞
  • off

    interchangeable with future time: 'two weeks off'

  • distant

    adjective form, more formal

反義詞
  • near

    close in space

  • close

    short in distance or time

文法句型

[number/measure] + away

away from + noun

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by a spatial measure (two miles, fifty kilometres, five minutes by bus). Distinguish from sense 5, which uses the same pattern but for time until a future event, not physical distance.

常見錯誤

❌The shop is away from here two kilometers.
✅The shop is two kilometers away from here.
💡the measure goes directly before 'away'.

3. into a drawer, cupboard, box, or other place where things are kept tidy or safe.

3.副詞B1
釋義

into a drawer, cupboard, box, or other place where things are kept tidy or safe.

例句

Nikolai put his clean shirts away in the bottom drawer.

put + object + away — into storage

Please lock the documents away in the office safe before you leave.

lock + object + away — secure storage

同義詞
  • aside

    stresses setting something to the side rather than into a closed spot

反義詞
  • out

    taken from storage and made visible

文法句型

verb + (object) + away

put / file / lock + something + away

用法筆記

Common with 'put', 'tuck', 'file', 'lock', 'pack', 'stash'. Object usually goes between the verb and 'away'. Often implies the spot is closed, hidden, or safe.

常見錯誤

❌I packed away the suitcase the camping gear.
✅I packed the camping gear away in the suitcase.
💡the object goes before 'away', and the container takes 'in'.

4. little by little, until almost nothing or none of something is left.

4.副詞B2
釋義

little by little, until almost nothing or none of something is left.

例句

The snow on the roof melted away under the morning sun.

melt away — gradual disappearance

Her childhood fears slowly faded away as she grew up.

fade away — slow loss over time

同義詞
  • off

    shorter, more abrupt: 'die off' suggests in waves

  • out

    in 'die out' — used for whole species or practices vanishing

反義詞
  • back

    in 'come back' — returning into existence

文法句型

verb + away — gradual loss

fade / melt / wear / waste + away

用法筆記

Always paired with verbs of slow change: melt, fade, wear, waste, die, wither, ebb. Subject is the thing being lost, not the agent. Distinguish from sense 1 (movement) — here nothing moves anywhere; it simply ceases to exist.

常見錯誤

❌I ate away my sandwich.
✅I finished my sandwich.
💡'eat away' means to slowly destroy by erosion ('acid eating away the metal'), not to consume food.

5. used after a length of time to say how long it is until a future event happens.

5.副詞B1
釋義

used after a length of time to say how long it is until a future event happens.

例句

Mira's wedding is only three months away, and the dress still hasn't arrived.

[duration] + away — future event

The school holidays are still six weeks away.

同義詞
  • off

    interchangeable: 'three months off'

  • ahead

    stresses what is coming, not the gap

反義詞
  • ago

    the same gap measured into the past

文法句型

[time period] + away — future point

用法筆記

Subject is always a future event (a wedding, an exam, a holiday). Differs from sense 2 in that the measure before 'away' is a duration of time, not a physical distance.

常見錯誤

❌The exam was two weeks away last month.
✅The exam was two weeks away at that point.
💡'away' is calculated from the moment of speaking or the reference time, not the past.

6. not at home, school, or work because you are somewhere else, often for several d

6.副詞B1
釋義

not at home, school, or work because you are somewhere else, often for several days.

例句

Dr. Viraj is away on a business trip until next Friday.

be + away + on + activity

Three students were away from class because of the flu.

be + away + from + place

同義詞
  • absent

    more formal, used in attendance records

  • out

    shorter absence, often within the same day

  • gone

    simply not here, no time frame implied

反義詞
  • in

    present at home or the office

  • back

    having returned from being away

文法句型

be + away

be + away + on/at + noun

用法筆記

Linked to the verb 'be' (or 'stay', 'go'), describing a temporary absence — typically a holiday, business trip, or illness rather than just stepping out for a moment.

常見錯誤

❌He is away to lunch.
✅He is out for lunch.' / 'He is away on holiday.
💡short absences use 'out'; longer ones use 'away'.

7. without stopping, often with a lot of energy or enthusiasm.

7.副詞C2
釋義

without stopping, often with a lot of energy or enthusiasm.

例句

The children chattered away in the back of the car the whole journey.

verb + away — continuous talking

Nikolai was hammering away in the garage all Sunday afternoon.

verb + away — busy ongoing work

同義詞
  • on

    in 'work on' — neutral, lacks the lively flavour

  • continuously

    formal equivalent, used in writing

文法句型

verb + away — continuous action

用法筆記

Informal. Always after a verb describing a sustained activity (talk, work, write, play, knit, hammer, tick). The verb is usually intransitive in this pattern, and the action sounds lively rather than tiring.

常見錯誤

❌I studied away the maths book.
✅I studied away at the maths book.
💡when there is an object, link it with 'at'.

away — adjective