✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

right away

adverb

: without delay or hesitation : immediately

Examples of right away in a Sentence

you need to have this fixed right away
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The team starts placing people with their assignments right away. Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025 And, post-meal, head outside for a stroll, not to the couch — at least not right away! Andrea Kane, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025 Thank God the customers rolled in, and each one got a signature piece hot from his hands, no chapati allowed to cool, but thrown into the scrap bin if not taken right away. Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025 Harp reserved a spot for her son right away. Lauren Hilgers, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for right away

Word History

First Known Use

1734, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of right away was in 1734

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Right away.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right%20away. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

right away

adverb
: without delay : immediately

More from Merriam-Webster on right away

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!