Some words in English carry a feeling, not just a meaning. Away is one of them. It brings a sense of distance, departure, and sometimes loss. And when you combine it with a verb, something interesting happens. The meaning shifts in ways you might not expect.
This guide covers 30 of the most important phrasal verbs with AWAY, with clear definitions, real example sentences, and a quick reference table to help you find what you need fast.
What Does “Away” Add to a Phrasal Verb?
Before you dive into the list, it helps to understand what away actually does in these phrases.
On its own, away suggests movement from a place or person. But in phrasal verbs, it does more than describe direction. It adds an emotional or practical layer to the verb.
Away often brings ideas of:
- Departure or escape: run away, get away, walk away
- Removal or disposal: throw away, clear away, put away
- Gradual disappearance: slip away, fade away, fall away
- Giving or transferring: give away, make away with, send away
- Hiding or storing: lock away, squirrel away, hide away
- Distance or avoidance: stay away, keep away, look away
Noticing these patterns helps you guess the meaning of a new phrasal verb before you even look it up.
Quick Reference Table
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Break away | To escape from a group or situation; to become independent |
| Carry away | To become so excited or emotional that you lose control |
| Clear away | To remove things and tidy a space |
| Come away | To leave a place with a particular feeling or result |
| Drive away | To cause someone to leave; to travel away by car |
| Explain away | To give reasons that make a problem seem unimportant |
| Fall away | To decrease gradually; to drop off a surface |
| Get away | To escape; to go on a vacation |
| Get away with | To do something wrong without being caught or punished |
| Give away | To give something for free; to reveal a secret |
| Go away | To leave a place; to disappear |
| Hide away | To go somewhere quiet and private |
| Keep away | To avoid someone or something; to prevent access |
| Lock away | To put something in a secure place |
| Look away | To turn your eyes from something |
| Make away with | To steal something and escape with it |
| Pass away | To die, used as a gentle way of saying it |
| Pick away | To remove something slowly, bit by bit |
| Pull away | To move away from someone or something |
| Put away | To return something to its proper place |
| Run away | To escape or flee; to avoid dealing with something |
| Sail away | To leave by boat; to move forward smoothly |
| Send away | To order something by mail; to tell someone to leave |
| Slip away | To leave quietly; to disappear gradually |
| Squirrel away | To save or hide something for future use |
| Stay away | To avoid a person, place, or situation |
| Store away | To put something in storage for later |
| Take away | To remove something; a meal you buy to eat elsewhere |
| Throw away | To discard something; to waste an opportunity |
| Walk away | To leave a situation; to survive something without injury |
Essential Phrasal Verbs with Away
Break Away
Meaning: To escape from a group or controlling situation. To become independent from something larger.
Examples:
- She broke away from the crowd and found a quiet corner.
- The small team broke away and started their own company.
- He finally broke away from a situation that was holding him back.
Carry Away
Meaning: To become so excited or emotional that you lose control or go too far.
Examples:
- Do not get carried away with the spending. We have a budget.
- She was carried away by the excitement of the moment.
- He gets carried away every time he talks about his plans.
Clear Away
Meaning: To remove things from a space and make it tidy.
Examples:
- Can you clear away the dishes after dinner?
- They cleared away the old furniture before painting.
- She cleared away her desk at the end of each day.
Come Away
Meaning: To leave a place with a particular feeling, impression, or result.
Examples:
- I came away from the meeting feeling confused.
- She came away with a much better understanding of the topic.
- We came away from the trip with memories we will never forget.
Drive Away
Meaning: To cause someone to leave or stop coming. To leave a place by car.
Examples:
- Poor customer service drives away loyal customers.
- He drove away without saying goodbye.
- The noise from the construction drove away most of the birds.
Explain Away
Meaning: To give reasons or excuses that make a problem or mistake seem less serious.
Examples:
- He tried to explain away his absence, but no one believed him.
- You cannot explain away results like that.
- She explained away the delay and the client seemed satisfied.
Fall Away
Meaning: To decrease gradually. To drop from a surface or group.
Examples:
- Support for the plan fell away after the first week.
- The old paint was falling away from the walls.
- Interest fell away once the novelty wore off.
Get Away
Meaning: To escape from a place or situation. To go somewhere for a break or vacation.
Examples:
- The suspect got away before police arrived.
- We need to get away for a few days. I am exhausted.
- She got away from the office just before the storm hit.
Get Away With
Meaning: To do something wrong or risky without facing consequences.
Examples:
- He thought he could get away with submitting the work late.
- You will not get away with that in this company.
- She got away with very little sleep for years before it caught up with her.
One of the most common mistakes ESL learners make is confusing phrasal verbs that look similar. This guide on common mistakes with phrasal verbs shows you the errors to watch out for and how to fix them.
Give Away
Meaning: To give something for free. To accidentally reveal a secret or surprise.
Examples:
- The store was giving away free samples at the entrance.
- Try not to give away the ending of the movie.
- His expression gave away exactly how he felt.
Go Away
Meaning: To leave a place. For a problem or feeling to disappear.
Examples:
- Go away. I need some time to think.
- The headache finally went away after lunch.
- They went away for the weekend and came back refreshed.
Hide Away
Meaning: To go somewhere quiet and private. To keep something in a secret place.
Examples:
- She hid away in her room whenever she needed to focus.
- He hid away his savings in a box under the bed.
- The cabin is a perfect place to hide away from the world.
Keep Away
Meaning: To avoid a person, place, or thing. To prevent someone from getting close.
Examples:
- Keep away from the edge. It is not safe.
- She kept away from the office gossip as much as possible.
- The fence was put there to keep animals away from the crops.
Lock Away
Meaning: To put something valuable or dangerous in a secure place. To send someone to prison.
Examples:
- Lock away all medications where children cannot reach them.
- The documents were locked away in a fireproof safe.
- He was locked away for three years.
Look Away
Meaning: To turn your eyes away from something, often because it is upsetting or uncomfortable.
Examples:
- She looked away when the news showed the damage.
- It was hard to look away from the scene.
- He looked away and pretended he had not seen anything.
Make Away With
Meaning: To steal something and escape with it.
Examples:
- The thieves made away with thousands in cash.
- Someone made away with the bicycle from outside the shop.
- They made away with the equipment before anyone noticed.
Pass Away
Meaning: A gentle way of saying someone has died.
Examples:
- Her grandfather passed away peacefully in his sleep.
- He passed away after a long illness.
- The whole community was saddened when she passed away.
Pick Away
Meaning: To remove something slowly and bit by bit. To keep working at something persistently.
Examples:
- Stop picking away at the label on the bottle.
- She picked away at the problem until she found the answer.
- He picked away at the old wallpaper for most of the afternoon.
Pull Away
Meaning: To move away from someone or something. To increase your lead over others.
Examples:
- The train pulled away from the platform just as I arrived.
- She pulled away from him and walked to the other side of the room.
- The leading runner pulled away in the final lap.
Put Away
Meaning: To return something to the place where it belongs. To save money for later.
Examples:
- Put away your phone during dinner.
- She puts away a little money each week for emergencies.
- Can you put away the shopping while I start cooking?
Knowing how to use phrasal verbs in your daily routine makes a big difference. This guide on phrasal verbs in daily conversations shows you how they come up in real life situations every single day.
Run Away
Meaning: To escape from a place or person. To avoid dealing with a problem.
Examples:
- He ran away from home when he was sixteen.
- You cannot run away from your problems forever.
- The dog ran away and they spent the afternoon looking for it.
Sail Away
Meaning: To leave by boat. To move forward smoothly and without difficulty.
Examples:
- They sailed away at sunrise and did not look back.
- The project sailed away once the team found its rhythm.
- She dreamed of sailing away to somewhere new.
Send Away
Meaning: To order something by mail or online. To tell someone to leave.
Examples:
- She sent away for a free sample of the product.
- The teacher sent him away for being disruptive.
- I sent away for more information about the course.
Slip Away
Meaning: To leave quietly without being noticed. For time or an opportunity to pass gradually.
Examples:
- He slipped away from the party without saying goodbye.
- The years slipped away faster than she expected.
- Do not let this opportunity slip away.
Squirrel Away
Meaning: To save or store something, especially money, secretly for future use.
Examples:
- She had been squirreling away cash for years.
- He squirreled away enough for a down payment on a house.
- They squirreled away supplies before the long winter.
Stay Away
Meaning: To avoid a person, place, or situation completely.
Examples:
- Stay away from that part of town at night.
- The doctor told him to stay away from fatty foods.
- She stayed away from social media for a whole month.
Store Away
Meaning: To put something in storage to use or refer to later.
Examples:
- She stored away the winter clothes once spring arrived.
- He stored away all the old files in the back room.
- They stored away enough food to last through the season.
Building a strong vocabulary means storing new words in a way your brain can actually access them. This guide on ways to learn new English words gives you practical methods for making new language stick.
Take Away
Meaning: To remove something. To leave with a lesson or impression. Food bought to eat somewhere else.
Examples:
- What do you take away from today’s lesson?
- They took away his license after the accident.
- Let us just get a takeaway tonight. I am too tired to cook.
Throw Away
Meaning: To discard something you no longer need. To waste a good opportunity.
Examples:
- Do not throw away the receipt in case you need to return it.
- She threw away her chance by arriving late.
- He throws away food that is still perfectly good.
Walk Away
Meaning: To leave a situation, often a difficult one. To survive something without serious injury or loss.
Examples:
- She walked away from the job without any regrets.
- He walked away from the crash with only a bruise.
- Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is walk away.
Knowing when to walk away from a challenge and when to push through is something fluent English speakers do naturally. This guide on mastering phrasal verbs gives you a clear plan for building that kind of confidence.
Phrasal Verbs with Away in Real Conversations
Here is how these verbs sound in natural, everyday English.
Planning a trip:
“We need to get away. Even a few days would help. Let us not throw away the chance to rest while we still can.”
At home:
“Put away the dishes when you are done. And stay away from the cookies. I made them for the party.”
Talking about someone:
“She slipped away before anyone noticed she had gone. She always does that. She just does not like goodbyes.”
Tips for Remembering Phrasal Verbs with Away
The best tip for AWAY verbs is to picture the physical movement first, then stretch it to the figurative meaning. Throw away starts as a physical action. You pick something up and toss it. Then it becomes a metaphor. You throw away time, chances, and talent the same way.
Try this with each verb:
- Picture the literal scene first
- Then think of a real situation in your life where that idea applies
- Write one sentence about your own experience
This approach works because you are connecting new language to something you already know. It is much faster than trying to memorize definitions from a list.
Also try grouping the verbs by idea. Give away, send away, take away all involve transferring something. Hide away, lock away, squirrel away all involve keeping something out of sight. Learning in clusters like this cuts your study time in half.
Keep Learning
Phrasal verbs with AWAY describe some of the most human experiences in English. Letting go, moving on, escaping, and holding on to what matters. From giving away something precious to walking away from something that no longer serves you, these verbs capture real life.
Start with five verbs from the table that feel relevant to your life right now. Write a sentence for each one. Then come back and try five more.
Next up: Phrasal verbs with GET are worth exploring if you want to keep building your knowledge.
