removes

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of remove.

   He removes the old paint carefully before applying a fresh coat.

   The new filter removes impurities from the drinking supply.

   Note

   Every sense of the verb passes through this form: a filter removes impurities, an editor removes a line, a bowler removes a batsman in cricket, and a killer removes a rival for good. Only grammar separates it from the noun plural. A number or determiner in front (several removes) marks the noun, and a subject in front (she removes) marks the verb.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of remove.

   By the time the rumor reached me, it had passed through so many removes that little remained accurate.

   The heir stood several removes from the throne in the line of succession.

   Note

   The counting plural of distance: a story reaches you at several removes, and each remove is one step further from its source. The plural once had a life at the dinner table too, where removes were the dishes brought in to replace earlier ones during a meal. At some British public schools a remove is a division of the school, especially the form before the last.

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