Others (Away): English Vocabulary List

to talk without a pause

"The children chattered away happily."

"The two old friends chattered away for hours about their grandchildren and the good old days."

to stop using or having something

"Do away with that old car."

"The new CEO plans to do away with many of the old unnecessary rules that were slowing down productivity and creativity in the company."

to provide reasons or justifications in an attempt to dismiss or minimize the significance of something

"He tried to explain away his mistake."

"The politician tried to explain away the scandal by blaming his staff for the mistakes that had been made."

to slowly and carelessly waste or use up something, such as time, money, resources, or opportunities

"Do not fritter away your time."

"He frittered away his entire inheritance on expensive cars and parties within just a few months."

to start talking about something that is different from the topic of the discussion

"Let's get away from this."

"The family needed a vacation to get away from the stress of their daily routine."

to prevent somebody or something from accessing a particular place or area

"Keep away from the dangerous chemicals."

"The doctor told him to keep away from fatty foods if he wants to lower his cholesterol."

to no longer be alive

"Her grandfather passes away peacefully yesterday."

"The elderly neighbor passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of ninety two last night."

to steal something and escape without being caught

"Don't run away with money."

"The suspect managed to run away with the valuable necklace before the police arrived."

to frighten someone so much

"Scare away the intruder."

"The sudden loud noise was enough to scare away the curious fox from the campsite."

to request or order something from an organization by sending them a written or online inquiry

"Send away for a free catalog."

"She decided to send away for a free sample of the new face cream that she saw advertised in a magazine."

(of an area or land) to extend over a considerable distance

"The beach stretches away for miles."

"The golden sand stretched away into the distance as far as the eye could see along the deserted coastline."

to spend time in a relaxed manner, often without a specific purpose

"While away the hours reading."

"The old man whiled away the hours by sitting on his porch and watching the cars drive by on the quiet street."

to slowly reduce the value, size, etc. of something

"Time whittles away youth."

"The constant erosion from the sea has whittled away at the cliff face over many years."

to gradually decrease and become less intense or smaller in amount

"The sound died away slowly."

"The sound of the music slowly died away as the parade marched off into the distance and disappeared around the corner."

to slowly remove or destroy something over time

"The acid eats away at the metal."

"The constant stress of his job began to eat away at his health and happiness."

to gradually lose intensity or strength

"His strength falls away."

"As we climbed higher the clouds fell away beneath us revealing a stunning view of the valley below."

to go to a secluded place to avoid being found by others

"He hid away from them."

"The fugitive decided to hide away in a remote cabin to avoid capture by the authorities."

to secretly store something in a place in order to use it later

"She stashes away money for emergencies."

"The old man had stashed away thousands of dollars in his mattress instead of putting it in a bank account."

to hide oneself on a vehicle or vessel, such as a ship, airplane, or train, without permission or payment of fare

"He stowed away on the ship."

"The young boy decided to stow away on a ship to escape his difficult life in the port town."

to work tirelessly and energetically on a particular task or project

"She beavered away at her desk."

"The students beavered away at their homework late into the night because the exam was the next morning."

to make a great and persistent effort in order to accomplish or resolve a task or problem

"Hammer away at the problem."

"The team had to hammer away at the complex code for weeks to fix the persistent bug."

to work hard and persistently for a long time to get a job done or reach a goal

"They slave away always."

"The dedicated researchers slaved away in the lab for years to develop the groundbreaking vaccine."

to keep working hard, even when faced with difficulties or challenges

"Keep plugging away at your studies."

"If you keep plugging away at your studies every day you will eventually see improvement in your test scores."

to work persistently, often for an extended period and to achieve a goal or complete a task

"She slogged away at her studies."

"The marathon runners slogged away through the mud and rain for hours before finally reaching the finish line."

to impress someone greatly

"The performance blew away."

"The magician's incredible illusions were so spectacular that they completely blew away the entire audience."

to give something as a gift or donation to someone

"He gives away his old clothes."

"The radio station decided to give away free concert tickets to the first ten callers who phoned in this morning."

to put a person in a place where they can not escape from, such as a psychiatric hospital or prison

"Lock him away."

"The court decided to lock away the dangerous criminal to protect society from further harm."

to move or back away from someone or something, often suddenly or quickly

"Pull away from the wall."

"The driver had to quickly pull away from the curb to avoid a speeding cyclist."

to take something from someone so that they no longer have it

"Take away these empty plates."

"The waiter came to take away our empty plates after we had finished eating our dinner."

to consume a large quantity of food

"He packed away enormous amounts of food."

"The competitive eater managed to pack away an incredible amount of hot dogs in just ten minutes."

to eat a large amount of food quickly

"He will put away food."

"Despite feeling full, he managed to put away an astonishing amount of food at the buffet."