Meaning & use
remove
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive
To take something away from the place where it is, or take it off a surface.
Grammar: Takes an object: remove the lid.
Patterns
- remove something from something
- remove something
Please remove your shoes at the door.
The cleaners removed the stain from the carpet.
He removed the battery before storing the remote.
verbtransitive
To get rid of something unwanted, such as a problem or a word in a text.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with from: remove an error from the file.
Patterns
- remove something from something
The editor removed several paragraphs from the article.
New rules aim to remove barriers for small firms.
verbtransitiveformal
To dismiss someone from a job or position.
Grammar: Often passive: the manager was removed from office.
Patterns
- remove someone from something
The board voted to remove the director from his post.
She was removed from the committee after the scandal.
Word forms
| third person singular | removes |
|---|---|
| past tense | removed |
| past participle | removed |
| -ing form | removing |
Common combinations
- remove a stain
- Lemon juice can remove a stain.
- remove from office
- Congress can remove officials from office.
- remove an obstacle
- They worked to remove every obstacle to the deal.
- remove evidence
- It is a crime to remove evidence from a scene.
- remove makeup
- She removes her makeup every night.
- easily removed
- The label is easily removed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- take off
- Take off is more casual and fits clothing or covers better than remove.
- delete
- Delete is used for digital or written material, so it is narrower than remove.
- eliminate
- Eliminate suggests getting rid of something completely, while remove may only shift it elsewhere.
- extract
- Extract implies drawing something out with effort, such as a tooth or a mineral.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: remove or move?
remove vs move
Move changes a position or place, while remove takes something out of the place entirely.
Practice
The cleaner had to ____ the old paint before the wall could be repainted.
Choose one answer.
Remove means to take away. Install and preserve do the opposite, and adorn means decorate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “remove”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.