Meaning
In British English, takeaway can mean food bought from a restaurant or shop to be eaten somewhere else, or the shop or restaurant that sells that food.
How it is used
Cambridge Dictionary marks the food sense of takeaway as UK English and contrasts it with US takeout or carryout. Collins likewise records both the British meal sense and the shop or restaurant sense. Context normally makes clear whether someone means the food itself or the business selling it.
Examples
- “Shall we get a takeaway tonight?”
- “There's a good Indian takeaway near the station.”
- “We ordered takeaway and ate back at the flat.”
Pronunciation
/ˈteɪk.ə.weɪ/ · TAYK-uh-way
Tone and register
Neutral, common, and practical in British English. It is ordinary food vocabulary rather than slang.
Visitor guidance
Visitors can usually interpret takeaway as the British equivalent of takeout or carryout when the topic is food. Keep that sense separate from the now-common figurative sense meaning a key lesson or main point. Restaurant opening hours, allergens, delivery areas, menus, and food-safety details are live information and should be checked with the relevant business or official source.
Cultural context
Takeaway belongs in a practical British-language reference because it appears constantly in food ordering, restaurant signs, local directions, delivery conversations, and everyday planning. The same word can refer to the meal or the business, so recognizing both meanings prevents avoidable confusion for visitors.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.