INDEX:
1. to remove something from inside something else
2. to remove something that is fixed or joined to something else
3. to remove something such as paint, dirt etc from a surface
4. to remove dirt from a piece of clothing or material
5. to remove writing, film, or music from paper, a tape etc
6. the process of removing something
7. a substance that is used to remove something
RELATED WORDS
to take off clothes : ↑ CLOTHES (10-11)
to take something away from a place : ↑ TAKE
to get rid of something or someone : ↑ GET RID OF
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1. to remove something from inside something else
▷ take out /ˌteɪk ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to take something from inside a container or place :
take out something
▪ She opened her briefcase and took out a letter.
▪ I need to get to a cash machine and take out some money.
▪ We’ll have to take out the engine to fix the gearbox.
take something out
▪ Roland reached inside his jacket and took his passport out.
take something out of something
▪ She took a few coins out of her purse.
▷ remove /rɪˈmuːv/ [transitive verb]
to take something from inside something. Remove is more formal than take out, and is used especially in writing :
▪ Cut the fruit in half and remove the seeds.
▪ He opened the torch and removed the bulb.
remove from
▪ Someone had removed some papers from the file.
▷ get out /ˌget ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something from deep inside something else, often when this is difficult :
get something out
▪ The spare wheel was right at the back of the boot under a load of suitcases, so it took me ages to get it out.
get something out of something
▪ It’s important to get all the dirt out of the wound.
get out something
▪ If you want to get out the old photo albums, you’re going to have to dig in the bottom of that trunk.
▷ extract /ɪkˈstrækt/ [transitive verb]
to remove a natural substance from the ground or from a plant, or to take out someone’s tooth :
▪ 42 tons of gold were extracted at the mine in 1987.
▪ She had to have three teeth extracted.
extract something from something
▪ The nuts are crushed in order to extract the oil from them.
▪ The bird uses its long beak to extract nectar from the flowers.
▷ cut out /ˌkʌt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something from the inside of something else, using a knife :
cut out something
▪ Make sure you cut out any tough, gristly parts before you cook the meat.
cut something out
▪ I knew I would have to cut the bullet out before the wound became infected.
▷ pull out /ˌpʊl ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to suddenly take something out from a place where it cannot be seen, for example from a pocket, bag etc :
pull out something
▪ The man pulled out a gun and fired three shots.
pull something out
▪ She pulled a notebook out and scribbled a few notes.
2. to remove something that is fixed or joined to something else
▷ take off /ˌteɪk ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something that is fixed to something else :
take something off
▪ I took the lid off and tasted the soup.
take off something
▪ He took off the old handle and fixed a new one in its place.
▷ remove /rɪˈmuːv/ [transitive verb]
to take off something that forms a piece or part of something else or that covers something else. Remove is more formal than take off, and is used especially in writing :
▪ Remove all the fat, then cut the meat into cubes.
▪ Make sure that the engine has cooled down before removing the radiator cap.
remove from
▪ She was in the hospital, having a lump removed from her breast.
▷ detach /dɪˈtætʃ/ [transitive verb] formal
to remove a piece or part of something that is designed to be removed :
▪ Please detach the last section of this form, fill it in, and return it to us.
▪ The control unit can be detached from the base.
detachable [adjective]
▪ The coat has a detachable hood that can be detached .
▷ break/tear/cut off /ˌbreɪk, ˌteər, ˌkʌt ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove a part of something by breaking, tearing, cutting etc it :
break/tear/cut off something
▪ A van bumped into us, damaging one of the headlights and breaking off the aerial.
▪ Tear off the coupon and send it to this address.
▪ Winds reached over 100 mph, tearing off roofs and flattening trees.
▪ He used to catch spiders and cut off their legs.
break/tear/cut something off
▪ Gerard broke the handle off accidentally when he was trying to open the door.
▪ I’d like to keep this part -- is it alright if I tear it off?
▪ He cut the top off the coconut.
▪ He cut all his hair off as a protest.
▷ pick /pɪk/ [transitive verb]
to remove fruit from trees or flowers from the ground :
▪ Migrant workers come to the orchard each autumn to pick apples.
▪ I’ll pick a few flowers to take to mum’s.
3. to remove something such as paint, dirt etc from a surface
▷ take off /ˌteɪk ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
take off something
▪ She was told to go to the washroom and take off her lipstick.
take something off something
▪ A standard detergent should take most of the grease off the surface.
take something off
▪ Paintstripper is the easiest way to take old paint off.
▷ get off /ˌget ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something such as paint, dirt, or marks from a surface :
get something off
▪ I don’t know how I’m going to get this old varnish off.
get something off something
▪ How do you get mold stains off the wall?
▷ remove /rɪˈmuːv/ [transitive verb]
to take something off a surface, especially dirt, marks, or something that should not be there :
▪ You can use lemon juice to remove the grease.
remove something from something
▪ Remove any dirt from the negative before printing the photograph.
▷ wipe/rub off /ˌwaɪp, ˌrʌb ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something from a surface by wiping it or rubbing it with a cloth :
wipe/rub something off
▪ I wiped the paint off with my handkerchief.
wipe/rub something off something
▪ Mitchell tried to rub the dirt off the nameplate with his gloved thumb.
▪ He wiped the dust off the piano.
wipe/rub off something
▪ She picked up one of the shoes and carefully wiped off the mud.
▷ scrape/scratch off /ˌskreɪp, ˌskrætʃ ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something from a surface by rubbing it with something sharp such as your fingernail or a knife :
scrape/scratch off something
▪ We started by scraping off the old wallpaper.
▪ It took a long time to scrape off all the dirt and bits of food from the top of the cooker.
▪ Someone had scratched some of the paint off my car.
scrape something/it/them off
▪ The car was covered in rust and Joey had to scrape it off with a knife.
▪ Lottery cards have silver panels which you scratch off to see if you have won a prize.
▷ peel off /ˌpiːl ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something such as the skin of a fruit or a piece of paper from a surface, by gently pulling it :
peel off something
▪ Slice each avocado in half, then peel off the skin.
peel something off
▪ When I peeled the label off I discovered that the old price was $2 cheaper.
▷ strip /strɪp/ [transitive verb]
to remove something that is covering the whole of a surface :
▪ We stripped the doors down to the bare wood.
strip something off
▪ I think we should strip the old varnish off and see what the wood’s like underneath.
4. to remove dirt from a piece of clothing or material
▷ get out /ˌget ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove a mark from a piece of clothing or material :
get something out of something
▪ What can I use to get these wine stains our of the tablecloth?
get something out
▪ It’s a pity about the mark on your shirt. Dry cleaning will probably get it out.
▷ shift /ʃɪft/ [transitive verb] British informal
to remove a mark which is difficult to remove from a piece of clothing or material :
▪ I’ve washed the tablecloth three times, but I can’t seem to shift these stains.
▪ Blood stains are very difficult to shift.
▷ come out /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if dirt or a mark comes out, it is removed by washing or cleaning :
▪ Use plenty of washing powder otherwise mud and grass stains won’t come out.
▷ wash out /ˌwɒʃ ˈaʊtǁˌwɔːʃ-/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if dirt or a mark washes out, it is removed by washing :
▪ A lot of hair dyes are designed to wash out after three or four washes.
5. to remove writing, film, or music from paper, a tape etc
▷ delete /dɪˈliːt/ [transitive verb]
to remove part or all of a document in a computer, so that it no longer exists :
▪ I think you should delete the second paragraph.
▪ The computer automatically deletes any files you have not saved.
▷ rub out British /erase American /ˌrʌb ˈaʊt, ɪˈreɪzǁɪˈreɪs/ [transitive verb]
to remove writing or pictures from paper by rubbing with a piece of rubber, or to remove writing or pictures from a board by rubbing with a cloth :
▪ Use a pencil so you can erase your mistakes.
rub something out
▪ I had to rub the whole thing out and start again.
rub out something
▪ Someone had rubbed out my name.
▷ cross out /ˌkrɒs ˈaʊtǁˌkrɔːs-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to draw a line through a word to show that it was a mistake or that you want to change what you have written :
cross out something
▪ She crossed out the names of people who had left.
cross something out
▪ That’s not right. Cross it out and start again.
▷ erase /ɪˈreɪzǁɪˈreɪs/ [transitive verb]
to remove writing, film, or music that has been recorded on a machine :
▪ Is there any way I can erase this videotape so no one will see what’s on it?
▪ Somehow the magnets had erased the entire cassette.
▷ cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]
to remove a section from a computer document, piece of writing, or film :
▪ Some of the descriptions are a bit long and should be cut.
▪ A couple of the scenes had to be cut because they were too violent.
▷ edit out /ˌedɪt ˈaʊt, ˌedət ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to remove something when you are preparing a book, piece of film etc for printing or broadcasting. :
edit something out
▪ If you make a mistake, don’t worry - we can edit it out before the interview is shown.
edit out something
▪ They had edited out several of the most important points in the article.
6. the process of removing something
▷ removal /rɪˈmuːv ə l/ [uncountable noun]
removal of
▪ Treatment usually consists of removal of the tumour combined with drug treatment.
▪ Removal of the brake pads is a simple operation which can be done with a few basic tools.
▷ extraction /ɪkˈstrækʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the process of removing a natural substance from the ground or from a plant, or removing a tooth from someone’s body :
extraction of
▪ The protesters are opposed to the extraction of minerals in the area.
▪ Dentists will only resort to extraction of a tooth when all other treatments have failed.
7. a substance that is used to remove something
▷ remover /rɪˈmuːvəʳ/ [countable noun]
stain/paint/make-up etc remover
a substance that is used to remove stains, marks, make-up etc :
▪ You can usually get coffee stains out with a stain remover.
▷ stripper /ˈstrɪpəʳ/ [countable noun]
paint/wallpaper stripper
a substance that is used to remove paint or wallpaper :
▪ Always wear gloves when working with paint stripper.