TAKE definition: took (tʊk), tak·en (tā'kən), tak·ing, takes.
- To get into one's possession by force, skill, or artifice, especially:
- To capture physically; seize: take an enemy fortress.
- To seize with authority; confiscate.
- To kill, snare, or trap (fish or game, for example).
- Sports & Games. To acquire in a game or competition; win: took the crown in horseracing.
- Sports & Games. To defeat: Our team took the visitors three to one.
- Sports. To catch (a ball in play), especially in baseball: The player took it on the fly.
- To grasp with the hands; grip: Take your partner's hand.
- To encounter or catch in a particular situation; come upon; discover: Your actions took me by surprise.
- To deal a blow to; strike or hit: The boxer took his opponent a sharp jab to the ribs.
- To affect favorably or winsomely; charm or captivate: She was taken by the puppy.
- To put (food or drink, for example) into the body; eat or drink: took a little soup for dinner.
- To draw in; inhale: took a deep breath.
- To expose one's body to (healthful or pleasurable treatment, for example): take the sun; take the waters at a spa.
- To bring or receive into a particular relation, association, or other connection: take a new partner into the firm; take a company national.
- To engage in sex with.
- To accept and place under one's care or keeping.
- To appropriate for one's own or another's use or benefit; obtain by purchase; secure or buy: We always take season tickets.
- To assume for oneself: take all the credit.
- To charge or oblige oneself with the fulfillment of (a task or duty, for example); commit oneself to: She took the position of chair of the committee.
- To pledge one's obedience to; impose (a vow or promise) upon oneself.
- To impose upon oneself; subject oneself to: We took extra time to do the job properly.
- To accept or adopt for one's own: She took his side in the dispute.
- To put forth or adopt as a point of argument, defense, or discussion.
- To require or have as a fitting or proper accompaniment: Transitive verbs take a direct object.
- To pick out; select or choose: take any card.
- To choose for one's own use; avail oneself of the use of: We took a rented car.
- To use (something) as when in operation: This camera takes 35mm film.
- To use (something) as a means of conveyance or transportation: take a train to Pittsburgh.
- To use (something) as a means of safety or refuge: take shelter from the storm.
- To choose and then adopt (a particular route or direction) while on foot or while operating a vehicle: Take a right at the next corner. The driver downshifted to take the corner.
- To assume occupancy of: take a seat.
- To require (something) as a basic necessity: It takes money to live in that town.
- To obtain from a source; derive or draw: The book takes its title from the Bible.
- To obtain, as through measurement or a specified procedure: took the patient's temperature.
- To write or make a record of, especially in shorthand or cursive writing: take a letter; take notes.
- To create (an image, likeness, or representation), as by drawing, painting, or photography:took a picture of us.
- To include or distribute (a charge) in a financial record.
- To accept (something owed, offered, or given) either reluctantly or willingly: take a bribe.
- To submit to (something inflicted); undergo or suffer: didn't take his punishment well.
- To put up with; endure or tolerate: I've had about all I can take from them.
- Baseball. To refrain from swinging at (a pitched ball).
- To be affected with; catch: The child took the flu.
- To be hit or penetrated by: took a lot of punches; took a bullet in the leg.
- To withstand: The dam took the heavy flood waters.
- To accept or believe (something put forth) as true: I'll take your word.
- To follow (advice, a suggestion, or a lead, for example).
- To accept, handle, or deal with in a particular way: He takes things in stride.
- To consider in a particular relation or from a particular viewpoint: take the bitter with the sweet.
- To undertake, make, or perform: take a walk; take a decision.
- To allow to come in; give access or admission to; admit: The boat took a lot of water but remained afloat.
- To provide room for; accommodate: We can't take more than 100 guests.
- To become saturated or impregnated with (dye, for example).
- To understand or interpret: May I take your smile as an indication of approval?
- To consider; assume: Take the matter as settled.
- To consider to be equal to; reckon: We take their number at 1,000.
- To perceive or feel; experience: She took a dislike to his intrusions.
- To carry, convey, lead, or cause to go along to another place: Don't forget to take your umbrella. This bus takes you to New York. See Usage Note at bring.
- To remove from a place: take the dishes from the sink.
- To secure by removing: The dentist took two molars.
- To cause to die; kill or destroy: The blight took these tomatoes.
- To subtract: take 15 from 30.
- To exact: The storm took its toll.
- To commit and apply oneself to the study of: take art lessons; take Spanish.
- To study for with success: took a degree in law.
- Informal. To swindle, defraud, or cheat: You've really been taken.
- To acquire possession.
- To engage or mesh; catch, as gears or other mechanical parts.
- To start growing; root or germinate: Have the seeds taken?
- To have the intended effect; operate or work: The skin graft took.
- To gain popularity or favor: The television series, which didn't take, was later canceled.
- To become: He took sick.
- The act or process of taking.
- That which is taken.
- A quantity collected at one time, especially the amount of profit or receipts taken on a business arrangement or venture.
- The number of fish, game birds, or other animals killed or captured at one time.
- Sports. The amount of money collected as admission to a sporting event; the gate.
- The uninterrupted running of a movie or television camera or a set of recording equipment in filming a movie or television program or cutting a record.
- A scene filmed or televised without interrupting the run of the camera.
- A recording made in a single session.
- A physical reaction, such as a rash, indicating a successful vaccination.
- A successful graft.
- Slang. An attempt or a try: He got the answer on the third take.
- Informal. An interpretation or assessment, as of an event: The mayor was asked for his take on the judge's decision.
- To follow as an example.
- To resemble in appearance, temperament, or character.
- To divide into parts after disassembling.
- To dissect or analyze (a theory, for example), usually in an effort to discover hidden or innate flaws or weaknesses.
- Slang. To beat up; thrash.
- To retract (something stated or written).
- To bring to a lower position from a higher one.
- To take apart; dismantle: take down the Christmas tree.
- To lower the arrogance or the self-esteem of (a person): really took him down during the debate.
- To put down in writing.
- To regard as: Do you take me for a fool?
- To consider mistakenly: Don't take silence for approval.
- To grant admittance to; receive as a guest or an employee.
- To reduce in size; make smaller or shorter: took in the waist on the pair of pants.
- To include or constitute.
- To understand: couldn't take in the meaning of the word.
- To deceive or swindle: was taken in by a confidence artist.
- To look at thoroughly; view: took in the sights.
- To accept (work) to be done in one's house for pay: took in typing.
- To convey (a prisoner) to a police station.
- To remove, as clothing: take one's coat off; take off one's galoshes.
- To release: took the brake off.
- To deduct as a discount: took 20 percent off.
- To carry off or away.
- Slang.
- To go off; leave: took off in a hurry.
- To achieve wide use or popularity: a new movie that really took off.
- To rise into the air or begin flight: The plane took off on time.
- To discontinue: took off the commuter special.
- To withhold service due, as from one's work: I'm taking off three days during May.
- To undertake or begin to handle: took on extra responsibilities.
- To hire; engage: took on more workers during the harvest.
- To oppose in competition: a wrestler who took on all comers.
- Informal. To display violent or passionate emotion: Don't take on so!
- To acquire (an appearance, for example) as or as if one's own: Over the years he has taken on the look of a banker.
- To extract; remove: took the splinter out.
- To secure (a license, for example) by application to an authority.
- Informal. To escort, as a date.
- To give vent to: Don't take your frustration out in such an aggressive manner.
- To obtain as an equivalent in a different form: took out the money owed in services.
- Informal. To begin a course; set out: The police took out after the thieves.
- Slang.
- To kill; murder: Two snipers took out an enemy platoon.
- To search for and destroy in an armed attack or other such encounter: Combat pilots, flying low to avoid radar, took out the guerrilla leader's bunker in a single mission.
- To assume control, management, or responsibility.
- To assume the control or management of or the responsibility for: She took over the job after he left.
- To become dominant: Our defense took over in the second half of the game.
- To have recourse to; go to, as for safety: took to the woods.
- To develop as a habit or a steady practice: take to drink.
- To become fond of or attached to: "Two keen minds that they are, they took to each other"(Jack Kerouac).
- To raise; lift.
- To reduce in size; shorten or tighten: take up a gown.
- To pay off (an outstanding debt, mortgage, or note).
- To accept (an option, bet, or challenge) as offered.
- To begin again; resume: Let's take up where we left off.
- To use up, consume, or occupy: The extra duties took up most of my time.
- To develop an interest in or devotion to: take up mountain climbing.
- To deal with: Let's take up each problem one at a time.
- To assume: took up a friendly attitude.
- To absorb or adsorb: crops taking up nutrients.
- To enter into (a profession or business): took up engineering.
idioms:on the take Informal.
- Taking or seeking to take bribes or illegal income: "There were policemen on the take" (Scott Turow).
- To experience serious financial loss: "Small investors who latched on to hot new issues took a bath in Wall Street" (Paul A. Samuelson).
- To take into consideration.
- To detract from: Drab curtains took away from the otherwise lovely room.
- To be careful: Take care or you will slip on the ice.
- To assume responsibility for the maintenance, support, or treatment of.
- To assume control or command.
- To become operative, as under law or regulation: The curfew takes effect at midnight.
- To produce the desired reaction: The antibiotics at last began to take effect.
- To express opposition by argument; object to: took exception to the prosecutor's line of questioning.
- To take a short rest or break, as of five or ten minutes.
- To consider as true, real, or forthcoming; anticipate correctly.
- To underestimate the value of: a publisher who took the editors for granted.
- To be confident or courageous.
- To seize, as by grasping.
- To become established: The newly planted vines quickly took hold.
- To understand; assume: As I take it, they won't accept the proposal.
- InformalTo endure abuse, criticism, or other harsh treatment:If you can dish it out, you've got to learn to take it. To endure abuse, criticism, or other harsh treatment: If you can dish it out, you've got to learn to take it.
- To endure punishment, suffering, or defeat.
- To accept or reject unconditionally.
- To abuse (someone) in venting one's own anger.
- To be receptive to: take kindly to constructive criticism.
- To be naturally attracted or fitted to; thrive on.
- To submit to harsh treatment with no resistance: refused to take the snub lying down.
- To pay attention to.
- To put into a state of awe or shock.
- To act slowly or at one's leisure.
- To happen; occur.
- To become established or fixed.
- To become rooted.
- To take on a distinctive form.
- Chiefly Southern U.S.To become ill. To become ill.
- To associate with and support a particular faction, group, cause, or person.
- To take an inventory.
- To make an estimate or appraisal, as of resources or of oneself.
- To trust, believe in, or attach importance to.
- To assume a judicial position.
- To be the most outrageous or disappointing.
- To win the prize; be outstanding.
- To be defeated.
- SportsTo be counted out in boxing. To be counted out in boxing.
- To incur blame or censure, either willingly or unwillingly: a senior official who took the fall for the failed intelligence operation.
- To rise to deliver a formal speech, as to an assembly.
- To incur and endure heavy censure or criticism: had a reputation for being able to take the heat in a crisis.
- To take all the money or possessions of, especially by outsmarting or swindling.
- To support (a person or group, for example) in an argument.
- To join in a dispute, especially in defense of a participant.
- To begin to associate with; consort with: took up with a fast crowd.