Take out or takeout?
take out is a verb meaning “To remove”; takeout is an adjective meaning “(Of food) intended to be eaten off the premises from which it was bought”. Use take out as a verb and takeout as an adjective. take out is written as two words and takeout as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between take out and takeout?
| take out | takeout | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb | adjective, noun |
| Meaning | To remove To escort someone on a date | CanadaUS(Of food) intended to be eaten off the premises from which it was bought CanadaUSFood purchased from a takeaway A stone that hits another stone, removing it from play, a takeout shot |
| Example | Let me take you out for dinner | Takeouts on important running topics in the news are one way to add a valuable dimension to the evening news. One consequence, however, has… |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈteɪkaʊt/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 1 million words |
Sources: take out and takeout in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of take out and takeout
take out
- 1
To remove
- 2
To escort someone on a date
Let me take you out for dinner
- 3
To immobilize with force; to subdue; to incapacitate
- 4
To obtain by application by a legal or other official process
take out a loan; take out medical insurance; take out a membership; take out a patent
- 5
slangTo kill or destroy
The soldiers were instructed to take out the enemy base by any means necessary
- 6
slangTo stun, amaze; to kill
These photos are taking me out
- 7
colloquialTo win a sporting event, competition, premiership, etc
takeout
- 1
CanadaUS(Of food) intended to be eaten off the premises from which it was bought
- 2
CanadaUSFood purchased from a takeaway
- 3
A stone that hits another stone, removing it from play, a takeout shot
- 4
A double of an opponent's bid, intended to invite one's partner to compete in the auction, rather than to penalise one's opponents
- 5
A detailed news segment
Takeouts on important running topics in the news are one way to add a valuable dimension to the evening news. One consequence, however, has been that there are fewer minutes…
- 6
A designated point for canoes, rafts, etc. to be removed from the water after use
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, take out or takeout?
take out is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; takeout about once in every 1 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).