1The action of taking away or abolishing something unwanted.

1. 1.1British usually as modifier The transfer of furniture and other contents when moving house.
   removal men

   Example sentencesExamples

   • We all jacked our jobs in, bought a massive great removal van and spent a couple of happy years playing gigs around Europe, chiefly in Belgium, beer capital of the world.
   • Sleepy days in leafy suburbs are disturbed by huge removal lorries that swallow up entire households as transient diplomats, businessmen and journalists leave for postings new.
   • We received little help with finding new homes, and the removal expenses we received rarely covered our costs.
   • Mark, 31, a removals man, said travelling by train had not been an option, mainly because the idea had been to travel out from Nottingham each day to places like Sherwood Forest and Alton Towers.
   • She was paid £510 ‘compensation’, and various removal expenses amounting to a further £843.47.
   • Though it is not sinking, removal vans gather at the Clarendon Building
   • They've even been used for furniture removals.
   • There was a removal van outside the next door neighbours.
   • I was accompanied by our contracted removal company.
   • We all know what a nightmare it is, trying to jam all of your belongings into the removal van and packing always takes twice as long as you think it will!
   • If a removal firm cannot remove furniture from a house without exposing its employees to unacceptable risk then it can and should refuse to do the job.
   • I'd always suspected it was behind the TV, but it wasn't until the removal people came in and took everything away that my suspicions were confirmed.
   • Penelope sat out of the porch of the house smoking a Lady Fair Light, watching the removal men load the families furniture, antiques and complete life onto seven large trucks.
   • He was at that time working in the removal business and had no experience as a funeral director or undertaker.
   • Many furniture removal companies operate secure storage facilities on a weekly rental basis, which could be a short-term solution.
   • If he was in the home removals business, he would be the one gingerly carrying the precious crystal vase across a treacherously slippery floor.
   • The removals man today warned that his York family business could now come to an end after more than 50 years.
   • After doing this, look for a furniture removal company.
   • But by about seven thirty, everything had been took from the two removal vans that had transported their possessions and furniture from London.
   • They hadn't realised that removal companies are booked up months in advance.
2. 1.2 The dismissal of someone from a job.
   opposition parties demanded his immediate removal from office

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Although the circumstances of Chavez's removal from office are still not entirely clear, the basic outlines of the story are quite troubling.
   • Five councillors in the past two months - four in the past ten days - have resigned from students' council, and one other faced removal from his position.
   • A demanding standard of financial honesty is expected of politicians, and even small-scale tax evasion or misuse of an expense account can lead to removal from office.
   • Now, the power of removal from office at any time in cases other than the case of a Deputy Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner is exercised by the Commissioner.
   • The only disciplinary measure described in the AFN Charter is removal from office.
   • More promising, it might be thought, is the strategy of giving the shareholders strong legal rights in relation to the appointment or removal of the directors.
   • John and Ken are also targeting an incumbent Democrat for removal from office.
   • Their terms are staggered, and the vice president does not automatically become president following the death or removal from office of the president.
   • This might lead to his removal from office.
   • That then led to the events resulting in his removal from office.
   • He was his own worst enemy and his rash violation of Grant's departmental regulations caused his removal from command of his corps shortly before the fall of Vicksburg.
   • A lot of the Alliance leaders have, since our removal from parliament, thrown ourselves into union organising work.
   • The president was spared removal from office but another crisis quickly surfaced, this one in Kosovo.
   • The debate had demonstrated that the only remedy for unconstitutional conduct by the president would be his removal from office and this would be too difficult and too slow.
   • It was in jail that he fell ill and died, sparking a chain of events that culminated in the arrest and removal from office of the Sheikh.
   • If the U.S. were an effective democracy, the President would face impeachment and removal from office.
   • And while the task force prepares to fully hand over the Haiti operation to UN troops, Aristide's removal from power is still not without its opponents.
   • But it was Whitlam who telephoned Buckingham Palace on November 11 after his removal from office by the Australian Governor-General.
   • All members of the council who are summoned by the sergeant to attend [congregations] shall faithfully do so, upon pain of removal from office and disbarment from future office-holding.
   • The minister claimed that his removal was not legal.

   Synonyms

   dismissal, eviction, ejection, expulsion, throwing out, ousting, dislodgement, displacement, purging, unseating, deposition

   dethronement, dethroning

   North American ouster

   informal sacking, firing, defenestration
3. 1.3South African historical The forcing of individuals or communities to leave their place of residence, especially to move to ethnically homogeneous rural settlements.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Finally the federal government ordered forcible removal of all remaining Creeks in 1836.

   Synonyms

   move, transfer, relocation

   Scottish &amp Northern English flit, flitting
4. 1.4Irish The formal procedure of taking a body from the house to the church for the funeral service.
   his fellow employees formed guards of honour at the removal and funeral

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Former dairy industry colleagues, along with Cork's business and sailing fraternities, were prominent among mourners at the removal of remains in Schull yesterday.
   • The huge numbers who attended the removal of remains, Funeral Mass and burial provided fitting tribute to the life of this very special wife, mother, sister and grandmother.
   • The huge attendance at the removal of remains, funeral, and burial, bore fitting testimony to the popularity of this very pleasant and popular young lady.
   • A man of good humour and a great sense of fun, he enjoyed popularity among his teaching colleagues and pupils, many of whom were present at the removal of remains and burial.
   • Jackie was a very popular man as could be seen from the large attendances at both the removal of remains, funeral Mass and burial.
   • The attendance at the removal of remains and again at the funeral was the largest ever seen in Bunclody so much so that the large crowds spilled over from the church to the entrance gate into the church.
   • Huge crowds attended at both the removal of remains to the Church of the Assumption, Gowran on Sunday and again on Monday at the Requiem Mass and burial in the adjoining cemetery.
   • The packed congregation which turned up at the Holy Family Church on Sunday evening for the removal of remains was testament to the high esteem this popular young man and his family are held in.
   • The removal of remains took place last evening and the funeral will be held after 11 am Requiem Mass today in the Church of the Assumption, Tullamore.
   • Large crowds attended the removal of his remains, Mass and Funeral.
   • Very large crowds of people attended the removal of her remains, Mass and funeral.
   • Removal took place on Wednesday evening to the Church of the Holy Trinity.
   • The large congregation present at both removal and burial was testament to the respect in which David and his family are held.
   • On Tuesday evening the removal took place to the Church of the Holy Trinity, Rathdowney.
   • The news or her passing was received with widespread regret as was endorsed by the large numbers of people who called to pay their last respects, offer sympathy to her family, attend the removal of remains, Mass and funeral.
   • Quite a number of people from Ballickmoyler, Arles and Carlow attended the removal of remains to St. Mary's Church, Partry, on Sunday.
   • The schoolgirl's popularity was reflected in the scale of the attendance at both the removal of remains from her home on Friday night and her Funeral Mass and burial on Saturday afternoon.
   • Large crowds attended the removal of his remains to St Brigid's Church, Kilcullen.
   • Removal from her residence took place on Sunday evening to St. Joseph's Church.
   • This popularity was reflected in the huge numbers who attended the removal of remains and funeral.