Takeout and takeaway both describe food bought from a restaurant to eat somewhere else; takeout is the American English word and takeaway is the British English word. Remember it by the phrasal verb each comes from: Americans take the food out, the British take it away.
The core difference
Takeout and takeaway both mean food to eat off the premises; the difference is American versus British English.
- takeout — American English for food bought to eat away from the restaurant: We ordered Thai takeout and ate on the couch.
- takeaway — British English for the same kind of food, or the restaurant itself: We ordered a curry takeaway on Friday night.
How to tell them apart
Both words describe the same everyday habit, food bought at a restaurant and eaten somewhere else, and each comes from its own phrasal verb: takeout from take out, takeaway from take away. In British English, takeaway can also refer to the restaurant itself, as in going to the Chinese takeaway.
Watch out for takeaway's other meaning: in both American and British English it can also mean the key point or lesson drawn from a discussion or event, as in the main takeaway from the meeting. That sense has nothing to do with food.
