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to walk away

to walk away

632 3.5
Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore
  • phrasal verb
  • /wɔk əˈweɪ/
translation icon : alejarse
  • With that, he chuckled and walked away to his new job.
  • just walk away
  • simply walk away
  • a person walks away

I don't watch a single thing once he walks away, they do.

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Examples

  • I could've walked away last night, but I didn't.

  • Look, I'm trying to walk away from you.

  • But you know, I may just walk away from the whole thing.

  • I knew that I have to walk away from this, and I did.

  • All you gotta do is walk away and leave it with us.

  • And I just made a decision that I would walk away quietly.

  • Wisdom is knowing when to walk away and save yourself.

  • At some point, John got up abruptly and walked away from the table.

    Academic text (2011)
  • After hearing their argument, she decided to walk away from the conversation.

  • He realized it was best to walk away from a toxic relationship and move on.

Synonyms

to leave
vsto walk away
1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

is often done with emotional detachment rather than neutral movement
to get out
vsto walk away
1.0

Leave a place or situation

is more emotionally detached and often deliberate rather than just moving on
to get out of here
vsto walk away
  • Informal
3.0

Leave a place quickly or suddenly

is more detached and calm rather than hurried flight
to go out
vsto walk away
1.0

Leave a place to do a task, for example to help people

is more detached and final rather than short social or practical trips
to go away
vsto walk away
709 1.0

To leave a place or person and go somewhere else

is more emotionally detached and often deliberate rather than simply moving on
to run away
vsto walk away
550 1.6

To leave secretly and quickly to get away from danger or control

is more detached and deliberate rather than secretive escape from danger
to withdraw
vsto walk away
466 2.8

To stop taking part in a place or activity

is about general detachment rather than a simple physical exit
to back off
vsto walk away
  • Informal
356 2.8

Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something

is more about calm detachment rather than conflict avoidance
to take off
vsto walk away
273 3.2

To leave a place quickly, often to travel somewhere else

is more calm and detached rather than sudden or travel-oriented exit
to retreat
vsto walk away
235 4.0

To move back from a place or plan to avoid danger

is more about detaching emotionally rather than seeking safety or privacy
to step out
vsto walk away
234 2.3

Leave a room or building briefly

is more detached and lasting rather than a brief temporary absence
to pull out
vsto walk away
206 3.4

To stop being involved in an activity or agreement

is about deliberate detachment from people or situations rather than this specific retreat
to depart
vsto walk away
176 1.3

To leave a place to start a journey

is more detached and personal rather than simply starting a journey
to walk out of
vsto walk away
  • Informal
164 3.1

To leave a meeting or event suddenly to show you disagree

is generally quieter and less confrontational than abrupt protest exits
outta here
vsto walk away
  • Informal
156 9.9

To leave a place quickly, often suddenly

is usually calmer and less abrupt than informal sudden exits
to walk out
vsto walk away
  • Informal
112 3.4

Leave a place suddenly because you are angry or protesting

is more detached and not necessarily a public protest action
to pull away
vsto walk away
86 3.5

To move away from people or a place to create space

is more about deliberate emotional detachment rather than sudden movement
to run out
vsto walk away
78 2.0

Leave a place suddenly, often to avoid someone or something

is more detached and deliberate rather than hurried avoidance
to walk off
vsto walk away
  • Informal
37 3.5

To leave a place suddenly to show you are angry or upset

is typically calmer and detached rather than an angry public exit
to take a hike
vsto walk away
  • Informal
37 8.1

Tell someone to leave in a rude way

is more about calm personal detachment rather than aggressive dismissal
to go forth
vsto walk away
  • Archaic
24 8.4

To leave a place and move away

is more commonly neutral and informal rather than elevated or formal
to quit
vsto walk away
22 1.0

To leave a place and not return

is more about detachment without necessarily ending involvement forever
to left the building
vsto walk away
  • Informal
21 6.5

To go away from a place, often suddenly or for good

is more about personal detachment rather than emphasizing finality or surprise
to push off
vsto walk away
  • Informal
14 6.8

Leave a place or start a journey

is more emotionally detached and less about starting travel than informal exits
to shove off
vsto walk away
  • Informal
12 7.7

Leave a place quickly, often in a rude way

is calmer and more detached rather than rude or dismissive departure
to bolt out
vsto walk away
  • Informal
5 4.9

Leave a place suddenly and quickly because you feel scared

is calmer and more intentional rather than frantic or fear driven fleeing
to take leave
vsto walk away
  • Formal
5 3.9

Say goodbye to people and go away from a place politely

is less formal and more emotionally detached than ceremonial goodbyes
to rush away
vsto walk away
2 2.5

Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry

is more deliberate and detached rather than hurried or panicked movement
to blow this popsicle stand
vsto walk away
  • Informal
1 9.9

To leave a place quickly because you do not want to be there

is more emotionally detached and not always driven by frustration
to drop off
vsto walk away
1 4.0

To move back from a place or position, often to a safer spot

is more deliberate and emotionally detached rather than slow unintended retreat
to take her leave
vsto walk away
  • Formal
1 7.7

To say goodbye and leave politely

is usually more casual and detached rather than polite ceremony
to sidle away
vsto walk away
1 7.7

To move quietly to the side and away so people do not notice you

is more openly detached rather than secretive or furtive distancing
to shake off the dust from one's feet
vsto walk away
  • Literature
9.8

Leave a place after a bad experience and not return

is more generally detached rather than expressly final after harm
to go offski
vsto walk away
  • Slang
9.9

To leave a place suddenly, usually to go somewhere else

is more detached and less playful or eager than that informal exit
to cut his stick
vsto walk away
  • UK
9.9

To leave a place quickly, often to avoid trouble

is usually calmer and planned rather than abrupt or surprising exit
to take your hook
vsto walk away
  • Archaic
9.9

Leave a place quickly because you are not welcome

is more emotionally detached and intentional rather than abrupt escape

Antonyms

1.0

To remain in one place and not leave

207 3.7

To stay in a place longer than expected because you do not want to leave

How Decisive

to cut the cord
  • Informal
5 6.6
to walk out
  • Informal
112 3.4
to walk away
632 3.5
to leave
1.0
to step back
101 3.6

Surface Forms

walk away infinitive
walked away past participle
walking away present participle
walks away third person singular

Morphology

walk + away

The meaning 'to leave a place, situation, or person' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'walk' (to move on foot) with 'away' (indicating movement away from something); the directional/separative sense and any deliberate/detached nuance are transparent. This motion verb + away construction is common across languages and follows a standard compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb walk away comes from the simple image of someone walking out of a scene and moving away, showing they leave and stop taking part. So today it means 'to leave' a person or situation, often on purpose to avoid more trouble.