Walk away means to leave, to move away from someone, or to refuse to continue with something: a deal, a job, a relationship. In the literal sense, a person simply turns and leaves, often without a word: He turned and walked away. In the figurative sense, “walk away” is followed by “from”, and it can sound like a criticism: You can't just walk away from your problems.
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walk away (from + person/place); walk away from + deal/job/relationship
- When the argument turned into shouting, my colleague stood up and quietly walked away.
- We loved the flat, but the survey found serious damp, so we walked away.
- It's hard to walk away from a well-paid job, even when you hate going to work.
What changed
First versionThe supplier raised the price again, so we went away from the deal.
RevisionThe supplier raised the price again, so we walked away from the deal.
“Go away” means to leave a place, to travel somewhere or to disappear, and as a request it sounds like “leave me alone”. When you pull out of a deal, a purchase or negotiations, say “walk away from”: “walked away from the deal”.
“Walk out” means to leave suddenly as a protest: a meeting, a show or a job. Half the audience walked out after the first act. “Walk away” is calmer: a person moves away or says no without necessarily showing that they are unhappy.
Your turn
The investors offered only half of what the start-up was worth, so the founders ___ the negotiations.
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walked away from — The negotiations are named, so they need “from” before them: “walked away from the negotiations”. Without the preposition, “walked away” cannot be followed by what you are leaving: that always comes after “from”.
Think of a purchase, a job or an agreement you walked away from. Write what it was and why you walked away.
I walked away from a cheap flat in the city centre because the landlord refused to sign a proper contract.
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