remove

ri-MOOV/ɹɪˈmuːv/

Verbremoves, removing, removed

Noun pluralremoves

15 meanings of remove

Practice

1
take from (place)verbtransitive
To take something away from where it is and put it somewhere else.
Like taking a toy out of a box and putting it on the floor.
Please remove your shoes before entering the house.
She removed the dishes from the table after dinner.
UsageOften remove something from somewhere: remove the dishes from the table.
Similartake, detach, move
Note
2
verbtransitive
To get rid of something, like words in a file, a stain, or a worry.
Like erasing a word you wrote in pencil.
You can remove a file by dragging it to the trash.
She removed all the typos from her essay.
Similarclear
3
dismiss from officeverbtransitive
To force someone to leave their job or position.
Like taking a player off the team for breaking the rules.
The board voted to remove the manager after the scandal.
Voters can remove officials who break the law.
UsageOften remove someone from a job: she was removed from her post.
Similardismiss, oust, depose, unseat, discharge
Oppositeappoint, install, reinstate
4
nouncountable
How far apart two things are, in place, time, or how closely they are connected.
Like the space between two stops on a bus route.
I heard the story at one remove, from my sister's friend.
At this remove of forty years, I can't remember her name.
UsageUsually in at one remove or at a remove.
Note

Less common meanings

5
a transfernounarchaic
The act of moving someone or something to another place.
And drags at each remove a lengthening chain.
1764, Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveller
This place should be at once both school and university, not needing a remove to any other house of scholarship.
[1644], [John Milton], Of Education. To Master Samuel Hartlib
Similarremoval, transfer, relocation
Note
6
murderverbtransitive
To kill a person, especially on purpose.
The gang threatened to remove anyone who talked to the police.
Hired men were paid to remove the witness before the trial.
UsageA hidden, softer way to say kill.
Similareliminate, kill, murder, liquidate, assassinate
7
emotional distancenounfiguratively
A feeling of being distant from something, so you do not feel strongly about it.
Like watching something from behind a window, far away from it.
She spoke about the loss with a strange remove, as if it never touched her.
He watched the argument at a remove, feeling nothing.
8
verbarchaicintransitive
To go and live or work in a new place.
Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane.
c. 1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”Here, remove means move to another place.
I am going to remove. / Where are you going to remove to? / I don't know yet. / When will you know?
1886, Lim Hiong Seng, Handbook of the Swatow Vernacular
Note
9
leaveverbarchaicintransitive
To leave a place, or to move or be moved from one place to another.
Note
10
change of homenoundatedcountable
A move of your home or business to a new place.
It is an English proverb that three removes are as bad as a fire.
1855, John Henry Newman, CallistaHere, removes means moves from one home to another.
Similarmove, relocation
Note
11
cricketverbtransitive
In cricket, to get a batter out and end their turn at bat.
Like tagging a runner out in baseball, ending their time on the field.
The fast bowler removed their best player early in the match.
Good bowlers remove dangerous batters before they score too many runs.
Similardismiss
Note
12
verbobsoleteformaltransitive
To take away one dish and replace it with another during the same course of a meal.
Note
13
nounBritish
In some British schools, a class or year, especially the one before the last.
14
nounhistorical
In the past, a dish served at a formal dinner to replace another dish that had been cleared away.
An attempt at entrées and removes failed at the first dinner-party.
1842, [Katherine] Thomson, Widows and WidowersHere, removes means dishes brought in to replace ones just taken away.
15
noun
The job of taking off a horse's shoe and fitting it back on.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of remove apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Latin removere, made from re- and movere meaning "to move." It came into English through Old French.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Remove ultimately derives from Latin removere. en.wiktionary.org
Latin removere is formed from re- and movere, meaning “to move.” en.wiktionary.org
The word entered English through Old French. en.wiktionary.org