Move away meaning
Move away means to go to live in a different town, city or area. It can also mean to go a short distance away from someone or something.
move away
move away · moved · moving
My best friend moved away when we were ten.
Move away meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Go to live in a different town, city or area
move away
- My best friend moved away when we were ten.
- They moved away from London to be near the sea.
- Would you ever move away from your family?
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2
Go a short distance away from someone or something
move away
- Please move away from the doors.
- The cat moved away when I tried to touch it.
- She moved away from the window so nobody could see her.
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3
Slowly stop using or doing something
move away
- Many shops are moving away from cash.
- The school has moved away from paper books.
- We’re not moving away from our main idea.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use move away in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is move away separable?
Move away has no object. Add from for the place or thing you leave: They moved away from the city.
When you push something away from you, it is separable: Move the chair away from the fire. Move it away.
Verb tenses for move away
| Present | I move away · she moves away |
|---|---|
| Past | moved away |
| Present perfect | have moved away |
| -ing form | moving away |
Common mistakes with move away
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: My cousin moved away of our town.
Right: My cousin moved away from our town.
Use from, not of, after move away.
Wrong: They moved away to Spain from ten years.
Right: They moved away to Spain ten years ago.
Use ago for a time in the past.
Wrong: Move away you from the edge!
Right: Move away from the edge!
An order needs no you after the verb.
Synonyms and opposites of move away
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- move outleave your home, maybe to a place nearby
- relocateformal; often for work: The company relocated to Leeds
- step backmove a short way back
Opposite
- move backreturn to live in a place you lived before
- come closermove nearer to someone or something
Move away quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Ana grew up here, but her family ___ when she was five.
Move away means go to live in another place.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use move away from before the thing.
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3“Banks are moving away from paper.” What does this mean?
Move away from something can mean slowly stop using it.
More phrasal verbs with move
4 phrasal verbs start with move. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
Move away FAQ
Questions people ask about move away.
What does move away mean?
Usually it means go to live in a different place, often far away. It can also mean step away from something: Move away from the edge.
Move away vs move out: what is the difference?
Move out is about leaving your home. Move away is about leaving the area. I moved out at twenty, and I moved away to Berlin at twenty-five.
Can I say move away to a city?
Yes. We moved away to Manchester. Or just: We moved to Manchester.
Use move away in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.