take out

Meaning

This common phrasal verb has several everyday meanings. It can mean to remove something from a pocket or bag, to empty the trash, to invite someone on a date (and pay for them), or to buy food from a restaurant to eat at home.

Examples

• Could you please take out the trash before you go to bed?

  Could you please take out the trash before you go to bed?

• I forgot to take my keys out of my pocket before washing my jeans.

  I forgot to take my keys out of my pocket before washing my jeans.

• He offered to take her out for dinner on Friday night.

  He offered to take her out for dinner on Friday night.

• Let's not cook tonight; we can just take out some Chinese food.

  Let's not cook tonight; we can just take out some Chinese food.

• She had to take out a loan from the bank to buy her new car.

  She had to take out a loan from the bank to buy her new car.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I need to take out of my wallet.

  ✓ I need to take out my wallet.

  Do not use 'of' directly after 'take out' when you are simply removing an object. 'Take out of' is only used when specifying the source container (e.g., 'take my wallet out of my bag').

• ✗ We ordered a take out pizza.

  ✓ We ordered a takeout pizza.

  Use the single noun 'takeout' (no space) when using it as an adjective to describe the food, while 'take out' (with a space) is the verb.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It's your turn to ___ the garbage tonight.

  💡 empty or remove

  Show answer

  take out

• My parents offered to ___ us ___ for our anniversary.

  💡 invite and pay for a meal (split the verb)

  Show answer

  take out