What does remove mean?
Remove means to take something or someone away from a place, position, or situation. It is used for physical actions, such as removing a coat, object, or person, and for abstract processes, such as removing a paragraph from a document, eliminating a doubt, or taking a problem out of a system. The word can also refer to dismissing someone from a role or to withdrawing from a situation, as in the formal expression remove oneself. In everyday use, remove often suggests deliberate action and a clear result: the item, person, or issue is no longer present. Its related forms include removal, which names the process or act, removable, which describes something that can be taken away, and remover, a less common noun for a person or device that removes something.
verbTo take something or someone away from a place, position, or situation. It can also mean to eliminate something, such as an obstacle, doubt, or unwanted feature.
- To take something or someone away from a place or position.
- To take off clothing or an accessory.
- To eliminate an obstacle, problem, doubt, or unwanted feature.
- To dismiss someone from a position or role.
- To withdraw or depart, especially in the expression remove oneself.
"She removed her coat as soon as she entered the warm room."
"The editor removed several inaccurate statements from the report."
"Please remove your shoes before entering the house."
From the Latin removere, meaning “to move away,” remove is still doing exactly what its name suggests: moving something out of the way.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does remove come from?
Remove comes from Latin removere, formed from the prefix re- and movere, meaning “to move.” The prefix contributed the idea of moving something back or away, while movere supplied the basic sense of movement. English borrowed the Latin form in the early 16th century, and the modern spelling gradually replaced an earlier variant, removes, during the 17th century. Removal and removable are later English derivatives from the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How remove is actually used
Remove is commonly transitive and can mean physically taking something away, removing information or material, or eliminating a problem. The phrase remove oneself is formal and means to leave or withdraw.
Easily confused with remove
Removing means taking something away, whereas relieving means easing a burden, pain, or difficulty rather than necessarily taking it away.