slave away
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle away
Meanings
Work very hard, often unrewarded
Why “away”? Away can mean you keep doing something for a while. You write away, chat away, or work away.
“She slaved away in the kitchen all day.”
“He slaved away over the hot stove.”
Test yourself
“She slaved away in the kitchen all day.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
beaver away
Same away pattern: persistence
Work busily and persistently
blast away
Same away pattern: persistence
Continue firing weapons or playing loud music for an extended time
chat away
Same away pattern: persistence
Talk on at length, contentedly
hammer away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep hammering or pressing on something
plug away
Same away pattern: persistence
Persist with a difficult task
scribble away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep writing in a busy fashion
sing away
Same away pattern: persistence
Keep singing happily on your own
type away
Same away pattern: persistence
Tap away at a keyboard steadily
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