Phrasal Verbs 9: away / back

The Big Picture: away vs. back

Think of away and back as opposites. Away means moving from a place, and back means returning to it.

Direction	Meaning	Example
away	leaving a place or person	She picked up her bag and walked away.
back	returning to a place or person	He went to a conference last week and came back on Friday.

You will see these two words attached to dozens of verbs. The good news is that the core meaning stays the same in most cases.

away = leaving, moving from a place

When you add away to a movement verb, it means the person or thing moves from where they were.

• The client finished the meeting, stood up and drove away. (left by car)
• I tried to hand the visitor a brochure, but a gust of wind blew it away.
• Don’t look away from the screen during the demo — you’ll miss the key feature.
• The IT team took away my old laptop and gave me a new one.

You can combine away with most movement verbs: run away, fly away, walk away, drive away, etc. Each one simply means the subject moves from the current spot.

Phrasal Verbs with away

Here are some very common phrasal verbs with away that have meanings beyond simple movement.

get away / get away with

Get away means to escape or to leave a place, often with difficulty.

• We had so much work before the deadline that I couldn’t get away from the office until 10 p.m.

Get away with something means to do something wrong and not get caught or punished for it.

• He submitted the report a day late and got away with it — the manager didn’t notice.
• You can’t get away with skipping meetings forever. Someone will say something.

keep away (from)

Keep away (from) means to stay at a distance, to not go near something.

• *Keep away from the server room if you don’t have access clearance.*
• The safety officer told everyone to keep away from the construction zone.

give something away

Give something away means to give it to someone for free because you no longer need it.

• We upgraded our monitors, so we gave the old ones away to a local school.
• When I left my old job, I gave away most of my desk supplies to colleagues.

put something away

Put something away means to place it back where it belongs or where it is normally stored.

• After the meeting, please put the whiteboard markers away in the drawer.
• She finished reviewing the files and put them away in the cabinet.

throw something away

Throw something away means to put it in the rubbish because you no longer want it.

• Don’t throw away those documents — we might need them for the audit.
• I accidentally threw away the receipt and couldn’t get a refund.

back = returning

When you add back to a verb, it usually means returning to the original place, person, or state.

• I lent her my stapler last week, and she gave it back this morning.
• Could you put the folder back on the shelf when you’re done?
• We walked to the restaurant for a team lunch and then walked back to the office.

Phrasal Verbs with back

call / phone / ring someone back

Call someone back means to return a phone call.

• I’m in a meeting right now. Can I call you back in twenty minutes?
• The supplier left a voicemail, so I need to ring them back before 5.

get back to someone

Get back to someone means to reply to them later, usually by phone or email.

• I don’t have the figures right now, but I’ll get back to you by end of day.
• I emailed the vendor last week, but they never got back to me.

look back (on something)

Look back on something means to think about events in the past.

• *Looking back on my first year at the company, I realise how much I’ve grown.*
• She sometimes looks back on her time as an intern and laughs at how nervous she was.

pay back / pay someone back

Pay back means to return money that you owe.

• If you borrow money from petty cash, you have to pay it back by the end of the month.
• Thanks for covering my lunch. I’ll pay you back tomorrow.

wave back / smile back / write back …

When someone does something to you, you can do it back — meaning you do the same thing in return.

• The new hire waved at me in the corridor, so I waved back.
• I wrote to the client with a question, and she wrote back the same afternoon.

Summary Table

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
get away	escape, manage to leave	I couldn’t get away from work before 8.
get away with	avoid punishment	He got away with being late.
keep away (from)	stay at a distance	Keep away from the wet paint.
give something away	give for free	We gave away the old chairs.
put something away	store in the right place	Put the tools away after use.
throw something away	discard, put in the rubbish	Don’t throw away the manual.
call / ring someone back	return a call	I’ll call you back in five.
get back to someone	reply later	Let me get back to you on that.
look back (on)	reflect on the past	Looking back, it was a good decision.
pay someone back	return money owed	I’ll pay you back on Friday.

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