Phrase guide

right away

adv · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adv

Meaning 1

Very soon; quickly; immediately.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable

Examples

  • This item is urgent, so please start on it right away.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

The traditional call to the driver of a train or other conveyance intimating that it is safe to move off immediately.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he answered immediately
  • found an answer straightaway
  • an official accused of dishonesty should be suspended forthwith
  • Come here now!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: immediately, instantly, straightaway, straight off, directly, now, at once, forthwith, like a shot

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

at once (usually modifies an undesirable occurrence)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he promptly forgot the address

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: promptly

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: فَوْرًا (fawran) — very soon
  • Arabic: حَالًا (ḥālan) — very soon
  • Arabic: مُبَاشَرَةً (mubāšaratan) — very soon
  • Arabic: حَالًا (ḥālan) — very soon
  • Arabic: على طول (ʼala ṭūl) — very soon
  • Arabic: قوام (ʔawām) — very soon
  • Arabic: مُبَاشَرَةً (mubashran) — very soon
  • Arabic: تـَوّاً َ (tawwan) — very soon
  • Arabic: عَلَطُول (ʕalaṭūl) — very soon
  • Arabic: على طول (ʼala ṭūl) — very soon
  • Arabic: قوام (ʔawām) — very soon
  • Arabic: على طول (ʼala ṭūl) — very soon
  • Arabic: طوالي (ṭawwāli) — very soon
  • Arabic: حالا (ḥālan) — very soon
  • Belarusian: адра́зу (adrázu) — very soon
  • Catalan: en el moment — very soon
  • Catalan: tot d'una — very soon
  • Cherokee: ᎲᎴᏊ (hvlequu) — very soon
  • Cheyenne: sé'ea'e — very soon
  • Chinese Mandarin: 馬上 /马上 (mǎshàng) — very soon
  • Chinese Mandarin: 立刻 (lìkè) — very soon
  • Czech: rovnou — very soon
  • Danish: straks — very soon
  • Esperanto: tuj — very soon
  • Finnish: oikopäätä — very soon
  • Finnish: heti — very soon
  • Finnish: saman tien — very soon
  • French: tout de suite — very soon
  • French: sur le champ — very soon
  • French: séance tenante — very soon
  • French: aussi sec — very soon
  • Galician: inmediatamente — very soon
  • Galician: deseguida — very soon
  • Galician: decontado — very soon
  • Galician: axiña — very soon
  • German: sofort — very soon
  • Greek: αμέσως (amésos) — very soon
  • Greek: τάκα-τάκα (táka-táka) — very soon
  • Hausa: nan take — very soon
  • Hebrew: מיד — very soon
  • Hindi: फ़ौरन (fauran) — very soon
  • Hindi: तुरंत (turant) — very soon
  • Hungarian: azonnal — very soon
  • Hungarian: rögtön — very soon
  • Hungarian: nyomban — very soon
  • Hungarian: máris — very soon
  • Ido: quik — very soon
  • Ingrian: hetin — very soon
  • Ingrian: järkenää — very soon
  • Ingrian: järestää — very soon
  • Interlingua: immediatemente — very soon
  • Interlingua: jam — very soon
  • Irish: láithreach bonn — very soon
  • Italian: subito — very soon
  • Italian: immediatamente — very soon
  • Italian: al più presto — very soon
  • Japanese: すぐ (sugu) — very soon
  • Korean: 곧 (got) — very soon
  • Korean: 즉시 (jeuksi) — very soon
  • Navajo: haneetehee — very soon
  • Persian: فوراً (foran) — very soon
  • Persian: بلافاصله (belâfâsele) — very soon
  • Plautdietsch: fuaz — very soon
  • Polish: natychmiast — very soon
  • Polish: od razu — very soon
  • Portuguese: na hora — very soon
  • Portuguese: imediatamente — very soon
  • Portuguese: direto — very soon
  • Romanian: imediat — very soon
  • Romanian: neîntârziat — very soon
  • Romanian: direct — very soon
  • Russian: сра́зу (srázu) — very soon
  • Russian: сейча́с (sejčás) — very soon
  • Russian: сейча́с же (sejčás že) — very soon
  • Russian: то́тчас (tótčas) — very soon
  • Russian: сию́ мину́ту (sijú minútu) — very soon
  • Scottish Gaelic: anns a' bhad — very soon
  • Scottish Gaelic: sa bhad — very soon
  • Spanish: inmediatamente — very soon
  • Spanish: sin demora — very soon
  • Spanish: enseguida — very soon
  • Spanish: al tiro — very soon
  • Swedish: genast — very soon
  • Swedish: ögonblickligen — very soon
  • Swedish: på direkten — very soon
  • Swedish: på en gång — very soon
  • Swedish: med en gång — very soon
  • Tajik: фавран (favran) — very soon
  • Tajik: якбора (yakbora) — very soon
  • Thai: ทันที (tan-tii) — very soon
  • Thai: ทันใด (tan-dai) — very soon
  • Turkish: derhal (derhâl) — very soon
  • Ukrainian: за́раз (záraz) — very soon
  • Ukrainian: відра́зу (vidrázu) — very soon
  • Urdu: فوراً (fauran) — very soon
  • Yiddish: תּיכּף (teykef) — very soon