Meaning & use
still away
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Continuing to be absent or not here, especially after being expected back.
Grammar: Used after be, or after verbs like stay or remain: She is still away.
Patterns
- be still away
- stay still away
- remain still away
Sorry, Mr. Okoro is still away on business until Friday.
The kids are still away at camp, so the house is very quiet.
She's still away from work after her operation.
phrasefixed phrase
Continuing to be at a distance from a place or person.
Grammar: Often followed by from: still away from home.
Patterns
- still away from something
- still away from someone
We're still away from the coast, about two hours' drive.
Keep the dog still away from the road while the cars pass.
phrasefixed phrasesport
Used to say a sports team is playing on an opponent's ground rather than at home.
Grammar: Common in football and other team sports; contrasts with at home.
Patterns
- be still away
- play still away
The team is still away for two more matches before returning home.
They've been still away in three straight games this month.
Common combinations
- still away on business
- My manager is still away on business in Seoul.
- still away at college
- Both daughters are still away at college.
- still away from home
- He's been still away from home for six weeks.
- still away on holiday
- They're still away on holiday in Italy.
- still away with the team
- The striker is still away with the national team.
Synonyms and how they differ
- still out
- Very close in meaning, but 'out' usually suggests being out of the office or out of the house rather than away on a trip.
- still gone
- Focuses on the person's continued absence rather than their being elsewhere; slightly more informal.
- still absent
- More formal and often used in records or reports, as in 'still absent from school'.
Opposites
Word family
- away adverb
- The base word: at or to a different place.
Commonly confused: still away or still away from?
still away vs still away from
Learners sometimes drop 'from' before a place; say 'away from home', not 'away home'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'still away' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Still away' follows the verb be and can be followed by 'on' plus an event: is still away on a course. Option 1 misses the preposition 'on', option 2 puts 'still' in the wrong place, and option 3 separates 'away' from 'still' unnaturally.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “still away”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.