takeaway

or take-a·way

[ teyk-uh-wey ]

noun

1. something taken back or away, especially an employee benefit that is eliminated or substantially reduced by the terms of a union contract.
2. conclusions, impressions, or action points resulting from a meeting, discussion, roundtable, or the like:

   The takeaway was that we had to do a lot more work on the proposal before it could be shown to the governing board.

3. Chiefly British.
   1. a takeout restaurant:

      Let's pick something up at the Indian takeaway.

   2. food from a takeout restaurant:

      I get Chinese takeaway at least once a week.

4. Sports.
   1. (in hockey and football) the act of getting the puck or ball away from the team on the offense:

      The problem with most hockey statistics is they are not very consistent in how they determine takeaways and giveaways.

   2. (in golf) a backswing:

      I got him a video entitled “Improving the Takeaway in Your Golf Swing” for his birthday.

adjective

1. of or relating to what is or can be taken away:

   a list of takeaway proposals presented by management.

2. Chiefly British. takeout ( def 7 ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of takeaway¹

1930–35 for earlier sense “train car for carrying logs”; 1960–65 takeaway fordef 5; take + away

Example Sentences

Here are three takeaways from the Chargers’ win:

From Los Angeles Times

I think the main takeaway should be that Indian food can be represented globally and presented in such a way that it can create excitement.

From Salon

Do you have one tip or takeaway going forward about dealing with political anxiety?

From Salon

And with the hot stove set to fully heat up over the rest of this month, here are a few takeaways on where the team stands.

From Los Angeles Times

One big takeaway of a just published study — same-sex couples will do everything possible to keep political shifts from interfering with the lives they’ve built.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• outcome
• result
• upshot

More About Takeaway

What does takeaway mean?

Takeaway is popularly used to mean the main thing you’ve learned, will remember, or need to take action on after having been presented with information, such as during a meeting or in a report.

Take away is a common phrasal verb that’s used in a lot of contexts, and takeaway as a noun has a lot of different meanings. It’s sometimes spelled take-away.

In the U.K., takeaway is the word for what Americans call takeout—food picked up from a restaurant to eat elsewhere, typically at home. It can also refer to the restaurant where you get it.

In hockey and American football, a takeaway happens when the puck or ball is somehow taken away from the opposing team.

Example: The biggest takeaway from the intern meeting was to not post pictures or videos on social media that could reflect badly on the company.

Where does takeaway come from?

As a phrasal verb, take away has been in use since at least the 1400s, but the first records of the noun takeaway come from the 1900s.

In the sense of a main idea or point that you take away from something, takeaway is popularly used in business, especially in the context of meetings and presentations. The takeaways from a meeting are the one or two things you leave having learned or knowing that you now need to do. But takeaways can also come from any source of information that’s been presented to you. The takeaways from a news article will probably be the main facts you’ve learned from it.

Takeaway is also used in the context of business to refer to something that is taken away—removed—from an employee contract, such as certain benefits.

In the U.K., takeaway is the food you pick up, as in I don’t feel like cooking tonight—let’s get some takeaway. To get the takeaway, you go to the takeaway. (In American English, takeout is most often used as a noun, as in Let’s get some takeout. It can be used as an adjective referring to the type of restaurant, but not by itself—you would say, “Let’s get something from the takeout place,” not “Let’s get something from the takeout.”)

In American football, a takeaway is when the defensive team somehow takes the ball away from the offensive team. The defense can create takeaways by forcing a fumble (causing an offensive player to drop the ball) or intercepting the ball (catching it before an offensive player can catch it). The result of a takeaway is a turnover (when the other team gets possession of the ball).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to takeaway?

• take-away (alternate spelling)

What are some synonyms for takeaway?

• upshot
• gist
• takeout

What are some words that share a root or word element with takeaway? 

• take
• away

What are some words that often get used in discussing takeaway?

 

• point
• idea
• outcome
• meeting
• presentation
• result
• main
• restaurant

How is takeaway used in real life?

In the context of business, takeaway is sometimes seen as a buzzword, but it’s useful, and there’s no very close synonym, so it has become very popular. In the context of fast food in the U.K., takeaway is just as common as takeout is in the U.S.

The key takeaway is it's important to shift your mindset from thinking VCs have an obligation to follow up to giving them a reason to follow up.

Make your startup something they are excited to talk about when they leave the meeting. Think of it as sales 101.

— Maren Bannon (@Maren_Bannon) February 18, 2020

getting treated like absolute royalty since being back from uni, mums just offered me nandos AND maccies takeaway in the space of 30 seconds? this woman that used to chant “there’s rice at home” 🤣

— who’sjurdaaanagen??? (@stephedo2) December 17, 2019

The #49ers had seven takeaways, including two interceptions, all of last season — the worst marks in NFL history.

Thru three games, the 49ers have generated seven takeaways (five interceptions) and they’ve generated 32 points from those turnovers, which ranks second in the NFL.

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 23, 2019

 

 

Try using takeaway!

In which of the following situations could you come away with a takeaway?

A. after attending a meeting
B. after seeing a presentation
C. after reading an article
D. all of the above