remove

1 of 2

verb

re·​move ri-ˈmüv How to pronounce remove (audio)
removed; removing

transitive verb

1
a
: to change the location, position, station, or residence of
remove soldiers to the front
b
: to transfer (a legal proceeding) from one court to another
2
: to move by lifting, pushing aside, or taking away or off
remove your hat
3
: to dismiss from office
4
: to get rid of : eliminate
remove a tumor surgically

intransitive verb

1
: to change location, station, or residence
removing from the city to the suburbs
2
: to go away
3
: to be capable of being removed
removability noun
removable adjective
or less commonly removeable
removableness noun
removably adverb
remover noun

remove

2 of 2

noun

1
: removal
specifically : move sense 2c
2
a
: a distance or interval separating one person or thing from another
b
: a degree or stage of separation

Examples of remove in a Sentence

Verb Remove the trash from the front yard. My tonsils were removed when I was five years old. Trees help to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These new findings should remove any doubt about his innocence. What's a good way to remove stains from a silk dress? The new law would remove obstacles to obtaining a work permit. He was removed from office. Noun She thrives when she's at some remove from mainstream society. their farm is just a remove of two miles from the town center
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Drake initially had a verse on the track, which features Travis Scott and Young Thug, but Metro removed it prior to album release. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024 Gerald Allen, a state senator from Tuscaloosa, sponsored the Memorial Preservation Act, which prevents any Alabama monument that’s more than forty years old from being relocated, removed, or destroyed. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024 Once the bone is removed, the remaining meat should weigh four to five pounds — the perfect size to center your holiday feast around. Lucinda Scala Quinn, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 After relying on the contraption for about three months, Barnaby’s scooter was removed in February and he’s seen lots of progress with his mobility, according to zoo officials. Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024 Those living in tents outside of the hospital would pile waste in an area away from the tents with no certainty of when it might be removed. Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024 Once cooked, remove them from the oven and transfer the collars and that luscious sauce to a plate, then top with chives, lime juice and sesame seeds. Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 The Park Service will remove 300 trees in total, including 140 cherry trees. Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 The Spanish removed the Ohlone from their villages and forced them into labor at local missions. Olga R. Rodriguez, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Black co-founders were Stacy Spikes and Hamet Watt, who both reflect on the journey at a cool-headed remove. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 Instead of underscoring some of the tale’s contemporary feminist resonance, this quaintly archaic tableau vivant reminds us of the artifice and artificiality of Reymont’s story, placing it at a remove, rather than within reach. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 The order’s way of life had been honed over so many centuries, and at such a remove from the rest of the planet, that many of the nuns believed no outsiders (perhaps not even the pope) could penetrate the meaning of their rituals. Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Gone is the emotional aridity that kept the story at a strange remove. Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2024 This year ended with both the Eras and Renaissance tour films landing in movie theaters, offering another hyper-realistic adventure that asked audiences to watch a screen depicting Taylor Swift and Beyoncé projected on another screen inside the screen—at a remove from the extant remove. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Pitchfork, 13 Dec. 2023 Before long, his daily routine involves stale bread, hard labor and propping himself up at his window to gaze into the small but humble home of one of his prison guards, echoing his defining childhood event, as though he were doomed to live life at a remove and view it through a pinhole. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Dec. 2023 There are myriad civic rituals, of course, as well as those at a remove from an increasing number of people. Tim Kelleher, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 But their actual work — whose legitimacy has been under attack — usually comes to us at an Olympian remove. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'remove.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English remeven, removen, from Anglo-French remuver, removeir, from Latin removēre, from re- + movēre to move

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of remove was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near remove

Cite this Entry

“Remove.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remove. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

remove

1 of 2 verb
re·​move ri-ˈmüv How to pronounce remove (audio)
removed; removing
1
: to change or cause to change to another location, position, station, or residence
remove soldiers to the front
2
: to move by lifting, pushing aside, or taking away or off
remove your hat
3
: to dismiss from office
the treasurer was removed after a year
4
: to get rid of : eliminate sense 1
remove a tumor
5
: to go away
6
: to be capable of being removed
a bottle cap that removes easily

remove

2 of 2 noun
1
2
a
: a distance separating one thing from another
b
: a degree or stage of separation
at one remove

Legal Definition

remove

verb
re·​move ri-ˈmüv How to pronounce remove (audio)
removed; removing

transitive verb

: to change the location, position, station, status, or residence of: as
a
: to have (an action) transferred from one court to another and especially from a state court to a federal court see also separable controversy

Note: Section 1441 et seq. of title 28 of the U.S. Code allows a defendant who is brought into a state court to remove the action to federal district court when diversity of citizenship exists, when the action involves a claim or right arising under the U.S. Constitution or under laws or treaties of the U.S., or when the defendant is a foreign country or its agency or instrumentality. Civil actions and criminal prosecutions brought against an officer or agency of the U.S. for any act under color of office may also be removed.

b
: to dismiss from office
an independent counsel…may be removed from office…only by the personal action of the Attorney GeneralU.S. Code
c
: to take away
should his incapacity be removed by a judgment of a courtLouisiana Civil Code
removability noun
removable adjective
also removeable
removableness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on remove

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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