Take definition
To affect in a strong or sudden manner as if by capturing, as:
- To deal a blow to; strike or hit.The boxer took his opponent a sharp jab to the ribs.
- To delight or captivate.She was taken by the puppy.
- To catch or affect with a particular action.Your remark took me by surprise.
verb
To get benefit from by exposure to (the air, sun, etc.)
verb
To have sexual intercourse with.
verb
To make use of or select for use, as:
- To move into or assume occupancy of.She took a seat by the fireplace. The team took the field.
- To choose for one's own use; avail oneself of the use of.We took a room in the cheaper hotel.
- To require the use of (something).It takes money to live in this town. This camera takes 35-millimeter film.
- To use or require (time).It only takes a few minutes to wash the car.
- 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. I downshifted to take the corner.
verb
To understand or interpret.
May I take your smile as an indication of approval?
verb
Advertisement
To accept, receive, or assume, as:
- To accept (something owed, offered, or given) either reluctantly or willingly.Take a bribe.
- 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 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.
- To receive into a particular relation or association, as into one's care or keeping.They plan to take a new partner into the firm. We took the dog for a week.
- To assume for oneself.Take all the credit.
- To agree to undertake or engage in (a task or duty, for example).She took the position of chair of the committee.
- (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 require or have as a fitting or proper accompaniment.Transitive verbs take a direct object.
verb
To get by conquering; capture; seize.
verb
To trap, snare, or catch (a bird, animal, or fish)
verb
To get hold of; grasp or catch.
verb
To hit (a person) in or on some part.
verb
Advertisement
To affect; attack.
Taken with a fit.
verb
To catch in some act, esp. a moral fault.
Taken in adultery.
verb
To capture the fancy of; charm.
verb
To get into one's hand or hold; transfer to oneself.
verb
To eat, drink, swallow, etc. for nourishment or as medicine.
verb
Advertisement
To admit; let in.
The bus takes 20 riders.
verb
To enter into a special relationship with.
To take a wife.
verb
To buy.
He took the first suit he tried on.
verb
To rent, lease, or pay for so as to occupy or use.
To take a cottage.
verb
To get regularly by paying for.
To take a daily newspaper.
verb
Advertisement
To assume as a responsibility, task, etc.
To take a job.
verb
To assume or adopt (a symbol of duty or office)
The president took the chair.
verb
To obligate oneself by.
To take a vow.
verb
To join or associate oneself with (one party or side in a contest, disagreement, etc.)
verb
To assume as if granted or due one.
To take the blame, to take deductions.
verb
Advertisement
(informal) To swindle, defraud, or cheat.
You've really been taken.
verb
To carry in one's possession.
Don't forget to take your umbrella.
verb
To convey by transportation.
This bus will take you to Dallas.
verb
To lead or cause to go along to another place.
The guide took us to the waterfall.
verb
To be as a path or course for; provide a way for.
The trail takes you to the lake.
verb
Advertisement
To undertake, make, or perform.
Take a walk; take a decision.
verb
To perceive or become aware of by one of the senses.
Took a quick look at the sky; took a smell of the spices.
verb
To commit and apply oneself to the study of.
Take art lessons; take Spanish.
verb
To study for with success.
Took a degree in law.
verb
To accept as true; believe.
I'll take your word that he's telling the truth.
verb
Advertisement
To impose upon oneself; subject oneself to.
Take a vow.
verb
To follow or adhere to (advice or a suggestion, for example).
verb
To accept or adopt as one's own.
Take a stand on an issue; take an interest in local history.
verb
To regard or consider in a particular relation or from a particular viewpoint.
We must take the bitter with the sweet. Take the matter as settled.
verb
To consider to be equal to; reckon.
We take their number at 1,000.
verb
Advertisement
To perceive or feel; experience.
I took a dislike to my neighbor's intrusions.
verb
To obtain from a source; derive or draw.
This book takes its title from the Bible.
verb
To obtain, as through measurement or a specified procedure.
Took the patient's temperature.
verb
To write or make a record of, especially in shorthand or cursive writing.
Take a letter; take notes.
verb
To create (an image, likeness, or representation), as by photography.
Took a picture of us.
verb
Advertisement
To include or distribute (a charge) in a financial record.
verb
To become.
He took sick.
verb
To get something into one's possession; acquire possession.
The invaders took and took, until they had everything.
verb
To accept or receive something.
When it comes to advice, you take but you never give.
verb
To have the intended effect; operate or work.
The skin graft took.
verb
Advertisement
To start growing; root or germinate.
Have the seeds taken?
verb
To engage or mesh; catch, as gears or other mechanical parts.
verb
To gain popularity or favor.
The television series never took and was later canceled.
verb
(regional) To begin or engage in an activity.
He took and threw the money in the river.
verb
A quantity collected at one time, especially the amount of profit or receipts taken on a business venture or from ticket sales at a sporting event.
noun
The number of fish, game birds, or other animals killed or captured at one time.
noun
A scene filmed without interrupting the run of the camera.
noun
A recording made in a single session.
noun
A physical reaction, such as a rash, indicating a successful vaccination.
noun
A successful graft.
noun
An attempt or a try.
He got the answer on the third take.
noun
An interpretation or assessment, as of an event.
The mayor was asked for her take on the judge's decision.
noun
To accept (something offered)
To take a bet, to take advice.
verb
To carry or transport.
To take a book with one.
verb
To remove from a person, thing, or place; specif., to steal.
verb
To remove by death; bring to an end.
Cancer takes many lives.
verb
To subtract.
To take two from ten.
verb
To direct or move (oneself)
verb
To win (a game, a trick at cards, etc.)
verb
To capture (an opponent's piece in chess or checkers)
verb
To travel by.
To take a bus.
verb
To set out on; follow.
To take the old path.
verb
To occupy.
Take a chair.
verb
To use up; consume.
To take all day.
verb
To make (a photograph, picture, etc.)
verb
To draw, photograph, etc. a likeness of.
Take the scene in color.
verb
To understand the remarks of (a person)
verb
To comprehend the meaning of (words or remarks)
verb
To understand or interpret in a specified way.
verb
(informal) Opinion; evaluation; assessment.
What's your take on the new tax?
noun
(printing) The amount of copy sent to the compositor at one time.
noun
The amount or quantity of something taken.
The day's take of fish.
noun
(slang) Money received; receipts or profit.
noun
The process of photographing such a shot.
noun
Any of a series of recordings or tapes of a performance, from which one will be made for release to the public.
noun
The process of so recording.
noun
To require or limit.
- To support or carry without failing or breaking.That truck bed will only take two tons.
- Looks like it's gonna take a taller person to get that down. Finishing this on schedule will take a lot of overtime.
- To last or expend [an amount of time].I estimate the trip will take about ten minutes.
verb
(sports) To decide or to act.
- (baseball) To not swing at a pitch.He'll probably take this one.
- (climbing) To tighten (take up) a belaying rope. Often used imperatively.
- To be the player who performs (a free kick, etc.).The kick is taken from where the foul occurred. Pirès ran in to take the kick. The throw-in is taken from the point where the ball crossed the touch-line.
- Not to refuse or balk at; to undertake readily; to clear.The pony took every hedge and fence in its path.
verb
To have sex with.
The rapist took his victims in dark alleys.
verb
To fight or attempt to fight somebody. (See also take on.)
Don't try to take that guy. He's bigger than you.
verb
To gain or secure the interest or affection of; to captivate; to engage; to interest; to charm.
verb
To bear without ill humour or resentment; to submit to; to tolerate; to endure.
Can he take a joke?
I'm not going to take your insults.
verb
To accept the word or offer of; to receive and accept.
verb
To draw; to deduce; to derive.
I'm not sure what moral to take from that story.
verb
To accept, as something offered; to receive; not to refuse or reject; to admit.
verb
An act of taking.
noun
(film) An attempt to record a scene.
It's a take.
Act seven, scene three, take two.
noun
(acting) A facial gesture in response to an event.
I did a take when I saw the new car in the driveway.
noun
(cricket) A catch of the ball, especially by the wicket-keeper.
noun
To get into one's hands, control, or possession, especially:
- To grasp or grip.Take your partner's hand.
- To capture physically; seize.Take an enemy fortress.
- To seize with authority or legal right.The town took the land by eminent domain.
- To get possession of (fish or game, for example) by capturing or killing.
- (sports) To catch or receive (a ball or puck).The player took the pass on the fly.
- (sports & games) To acquire in a game or competition; win.Took the crown in horse racing.
- (sports & games) To defeat.Our team took the visitors three to one.
- To engage in sex with.
verb
To receive into or on the body, as:
- 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.
verb
Take is defined as capture, get hold of, transfer something to oneself or travel by something.
An example of take is making a photograph of a friend.
An example of take is having a drink of water from a cup.
An example of take is having a ride in a taxi to the airport.
verb
To remove or cause to be absent, especially:
- To remove with the hands or an instrument.I took the dishes from the sink. The dentist took two molars.
- To cause to die; kill or destroy.The blight took these tomatoes.
- To subtract.If you take 10 from 30, you get 20.
- To exact.The storm took its toll.
verb
(slang) To cheat; trick.
verb
(gram.) To have or admit of according to usage, nature, etc.; be used with in construction.
A transitive verb takes an object.
verb
To choose; select.
verb
To use or employ; resort to.
To take a mop to the floor.
verb
To go to (a place) for shelter, safety, etc.
To take cover.
verb
To deal with; consider.
To take a matter seriously.
verb
To require; demand; need.
It takes money; to take a size ten.
verb
(baseball) To allow (a pitched ball) to pass without swinging one's bat.
verb
To have a specified reaction to.
To take a joke in earnest.
verb
To confront and get over, through, etc.
The horse took the jump.
verb
To be affected by (a disease, etc.)
To take cold.
verb
To absorb; become impregnated or treated with (a dye, polish, etc.)
verb
To suppose; presume.
He took her to be a teacher.
verb
To have or feel (an emotion or mental state)
Take pity, take notice.
verb
To hold and act upon (an idea, point of view, etc.)
verb
To do; perform (an act)
To take a walk.
verb
To make or put forth (a resolution or objection) as the result of thought.
verb
(informal) To aim and execute (a specified action) at an object.
To take a jab at someone.
verb
To be the way or means of going to (a place, condition, etc.); conduct; lead.
The path takes you to the river.
verb
To escort or accompany.
To take a friend to dinner.
verb
To get possession.
verb
To hook or engage with another part.
verb
To take root; begin growing.
verb
To lay hold; catch.
The fire took rapidly.
verb
To gain public favor; be popular.
verb
To be effective in action, operation, desired result, etc.
The vaccination took; the dye takes well.
verb
To remove a part; detract (from)
Nothing took from the scene's beauty.
verb
To be made or adapted to be taken (up, down, apart, etc.)
verb
(informal) To be photographed in a specified way.
She takes well in profile.
verb
(law) To take possession of property.
verb
The act or process of taking.
noun
Something that has been taken.
noun
A vaccination that takes.
noun
An uninterrupted shot photographed by a camera.
noun
To get or put something into one's or someone's possession or control.
- To grasp with the hands.
- To pick up and move to oneself.I'll take that plate off the table.
- I'll take the plate with me.
- To lead; to conduct.Who's going to take the kids to school?.I took my girlfriend to the cinema.
- To choose.I'll take the blue plates.We took the road on the right.
- To accept.Do you take sugar in your coffee?.We take all major credit cards.
- (military) To gain a position by force.After a bloody battle, they were able to take the city.
- I take aspirin every day to thin my blood.
- The photographer took a picture of our family.
- (dated) To form a likeness of; to copy; to depict.To take (i.e. draw or paint) a picture of a person.
- 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew XXIII.Jesus perceaved there wylynes, and sayde: Why tempte ye me ye ypocrytes? lett me se the tribute money. And they toke hym a peny.
verb
To have or change a state of mind or body.
- To endure or cope with.I can take the noise, but I can't take the smell.
- Do you take me for a fool?.I take it you're not going?.Looking at him as he came into the room, I took him for his father.He was often taken to be a man of means.
- (intransitive) To become.They took ill within 3 hours. She took sick with the flu.
- To enroll (in a class, or a course of study).I plan to take math, physics, literature and flower arrangement this semester.
- To participate in, undergo, or experience.Aren't you supposed to take your math final today? When will you take your vacation? I had to take a pee.
- (intransitive) To habituate to or gain competency at a task.I take to swimming like a fish.
- To take a trip; to take aim.
- To take a dislike; to take pleasure.
- (reflexive) To go.
verb
To derive, inherit, or draw (a name, quality, etc.) from something or someone specified.
verb
To extract, as for quotation; excerpt.
To take a verse from the Bible.
verb
To obtain or ascertain by observation, query, or experiment.
To take a poll, to take one's temperature.
verb
To study; specif., to be enrolled as a student in.
To take an art course.
verb
To write down; copy.
Take notes.
verb
To make an impression of.
Take his fingerprints.
verb
To win (a prize, reward, etc.)
verb
To be the object of.
- To undergo.To take a beating.
- To withstand; endure; hold up against.A tire designed to take punishment; she can't take a joke.
verb
To occupy oneself in; enjoy.
Take a nap.
verb
(informal) on the take
- Taking or seeking to take bribes or illegal income:
idiom
(informal) take a bath
- To experience serious financial loss:
idiom
take account of
- To take into consideration.
idiom
take away from
- To detract from:Drab curtains took away from the otherwise lovely room.
idiom
take care
- To be careful:Take care or you will slip on the ice.
idiom
take care of
- To assume responsibility for the maintenance, support, or treatment of.
idiom
take charge
- To assume control or command.
idiom
take effect
- 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.
idiom
take exception
- To express opposition by argument; object to:Took exception to the prosecutor's line of questioning.
idiom
(slang) take five
- To take a short rest or break, as of five or ten minutes.
idiom
take for granted
- To consider as true, real, or forthcoming; anticipate correctly.
- To underestimate the value of:A publisher who took the editors for granted.
idiom
take heart
- To be confident or courageous.
idiom
take hold
- To seize, as by grasping.
- To become established:The newly planted vines quickly took hold.
idiom
take it
- To understand; assume:As I take it, they won't accept the proposal.
- To endure abuse, criticism, or other harsh treatment:If you can dish it out, you've got to learn to take it.
idiom
(slang) take it on the chin
- To endure punishment, suffering, or defeat.
idiom
take it or leave it
- To accept or reject unconditionally.
idiom
(informal) take it out on
- To abuse (someone) in venting one's own anger.
idiom
take kindly to
- To be receptive to:Take kindly to constructive criticism.
- To be naturally attracted or fitted to; thrive on.
idiom
(informal) take lying down
- To submit to harsh treatment with no resistance:Refused to take the snub lying down.
idiom
take notice of
- To pay attention to.
idiom
take (one's) breath away
- To put into a state of awe or shock.
idiom
take (one's) time
- To act slowly or at one's leisure.
idiom
take place
- To happen; occur.
idiom
take root
- To become established or fixed.
- To become rooted.
idiom
take shape
- To take on a distinctive form.
idiom
take sick
- To become ill.
idiom
take sides
- To associate with and support a particular faction, group, cause, or person.
idiom
take stock
- To take an inventory.
- To make an estimate or appraisal, as of resources or of oneself.
idiom
take stock in
- To trust, believe in, or attach importance to.
idiom
(law) take the bench
- To become a judge.
- To preside in court:The judge took the bench to hear the plaintiff's motion.
idiom
take the cake
- To be the most outrageous or disappointing.
- To win the prize; be outstanding.
idiom
take the count
- To be defeated.
- To be counted out in boxing.
idiom
(slang) take the fall
- To incur blame or censure, either willingly or unwillingly:A senior official who took the fall for the failed intelligence operation.
idiom
take the floor
- To rise to deliver a formal speech, as to an assembly.
idiom
(slang) take the heat
- To incur and endure heavy censure or criticism:Had a reputation for being able to take the heat in a crisis.
idiom
(slang) take to the cleaners
- To take all the money or possessions of, especially by outsmarting or swindling.
idiom
take up for
- To support (a person or group, for example) in an argument.
idiom
take up the cudgels
- To join in a dispute, especially in defense of a participant.
idiom
(informal) take up with
- To begin to associate with; consort with:Took up with a fast crowd.
idiom
on the take
- willing or seeking to take bribes or illicit income
idiom
take after
- to resemble (a parent, etc.) in some way
- to run after or pursue
idiom
take a meeting
- to attend a business conference
idiom
take amiss
- to be wrong concerning; mistake
- to misunderstand the reason behind (an act), esp. so as to become offended
idiom
take back
- to regain use or possession of
- to retract (something said, promised, etc.)
- to return (something), as to be exchanged
idiom
take down
- to remove from a higher place and put in a lower one; pull down
- to unfasten; take apart
- to make less conceited; humble
- to put in writing; record
idiom
take five (or ten, etc.)
- take a break for five (or ten, etc.) minutes, as from working
idiom
take for
- to consider to be; regard as
- to mistake for
idiom
take hold
- to take effect or become firmly establishedThe new fad took hold quickly.
idiom
take hold of
- to seize; grasp
idiom
take ill
- to become ill (or sick)
idiom
take in
- to admit; receive
- to reef or furl (a sail)
- to make smaller or more compact
- to include; comprise
- to understand; comprehend
- to cheat; trick; deceive
- to visit, see, experience, etc.To take in all the sights.
- to receive into one's home for payTo take in boarders.
idiom
take it
- to suppose; believe
- to withstand difficulty, criticism, hardship, ridicule, etc.
idiom
take it or leave it
- accept it or not
idiom
(informal) take it out of
- to exhaust; tire
- to obtain payment or satisfaction from
idiom
take it out on
- to make (another) suffer for one's own anger, irritation, bad temper, etc.
idiom
take off
- to remove (a garment, etc.)
- to draw or conduct away
- to deduct; subtract
- to kill
- to make a copy or likeness of
- to leave the ground or water in flight
- to start
- to imitate in a burlesque manner; parody
- to become very popular and successful
- to rob
idiom
take off after
- to run after or pursue
idiom
take on
- to acquire; assume (form, quality, etc.)
- to employ; hire
- to begin to do (a task, etc.); undertake
- to compete or play against; oppose
- to show violent emotion, especially anger or sorrow
idiom
take one's time
- to be slow or unhurried; delay
idiom
take out
- to obtain by application to the proper authority
- to escort, as on a date
- to kill; specif., to assassinate
idiom
take over
- to assume control or possession of
idiom
take to
- to develop a habit or practice of doing, using, etc.
- to apply oneself to (one's studies, work, etc.)
- to become fond of; care for; be attracted to
idiom
take up
- to raise; lift
- to make tighter or shorter
- to pay off; recover by buying (a mortgage, note, etc.)
- to absorb (a liquid)
- to assume protection or custody of
- to interrupt in disapproval or rebuke
- to resume (something interrupted)
- to occupy or fill (space or time)
idiom
take upon oneself
- to take the responsibility for; accept as a charge
- to begin (to do something)
idiom
take up with
- to become a friend or companion of
idiom
Idioms and Phrasal Verbs
take account of
take it on the chin
take kindly to
take notice of
take stock in
take the bench
take a meeting
take amiss
take five (<i>or</i> ten, <i>etc.</i>)
take hold of
take off after
Origin of take
- Middle English taken from Old English tacan from Old Norse taka
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English taken (“to take, lay hold of, grasp, strike"), from Old English tacan (“to grasp, touch"), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse taka (“to touch, take"), from Proto-Germanic *tÄ“kanÄ… (“to touch"), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₁g-, *dh₁g- (“to touch"). Gradually displaced Middle English nimen (“to take"), from Old English niman (“to take"). Cognate with Icelandic taka (“to take"), Danish tage (“to take, seize"), Middle Dutch taken (“to grasp"), Middle Low German tacken (“to grasp"). See tackle.
From Wiktionary