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Meaning of take in English
Pronunciation
/teɪk/
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Verb
take
Etymology
late Old English tacan ‘get (especially by force), capture’, from Old Norse taka‘grasp, lay hold of’, of unknown ultimate origin
Definitions
1.
carry out
Examples
« take action »
« take steps »
« take vengeance »
2.
as of time or space
Examples
« It took three hours to get to work this morning »
« This event occupied a very short time »
3.
take somebody somewhere
Examples
« We lead him to our chief »
« can you take me to the main entrance? »
« He conducted us to the palace »
4.
get into one's hands, take physically
Examples
« Take a cookie! »
« Can you take this bag, please »
5.
take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect
Examples
« His voice took on a sad tone »
« The story took a new turn »
« he adopted an air of superiority »
« She assumed strange manners »
« The gods assume human or animal form in these fables »
6.
interpret something in a certain way
Examples
« convey a particular meaning or impression »
« I read this address as a satire »
« How should I take this message? »
« You can't take credit for this! »
7.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
Examples
« Bring me the box from the other room »
« Take these letters to the boss »
« This brings me to the main point »
8.
take into one's possession
Examples
« We are taking an orphan from Romania »
« I'll take three salmon steaks »
Antonyms
give
9.
require as useful, just, or proper
Examples
« It takes nerve to do what she did »
« success usually requires hard work »
« This job asks a lot of patience and skill »
« This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice »
« This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert; »
Antonyms
obviate
rid of
eliminate
10.
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
Examples
« Take any one of these cards »
« Choose a good husband for your daughter »
« She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her »
11.
travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route
Examples
« He takes the bus to work »
« She takes Route 1 to Newark »
12.
receive willingly something given or offered
Examples
« The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter »
« I won't have this dog in my house! »
« Please accept my present »
Antonyms
refuse
reject
pass up
turn down
decline
13.
assume, as of positions or roles
Examples
« She took the job as director of development »
14.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
Examples
« Take the case of China »
« Consider the following case »
15.
experience or feel or submit to
Examples
« Take a test »
« Take the plunge »
16.
make a film or photograph of something
Examples
« take a scene »
« shoot a movie »
17.
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, taking off, etc. or remove something abstract
Examples
« remove a threat »
« remove a wrapper »
« Remove the dirty dishes from the table »
« take the gun from your pocket »
« This machine withdraws heat from the envir »
18.
serve oneself to, or consume regularly
Examples
« Have another bowl of chicken soup! »
« I don't take sugar in my coffee »
Antonyms
abstain
refrain
desist
19.
accept or undergo, often unwillingly
Examples
« We took a pay cut »
20.
make use of or accept for some purpose
Examples
« take a risk »
« take an opportunity »
21.
take by force
Examples
« Hitler took the Baltic Republics »
« The army took the fort on the hill »
22.
occupy or take on
Examples
« He assumes the lotus position »
« She took her seat on the stage »
« We took our seats in the orchestra »
« She took up her position behind the tree »
« strike a pose »
23.
admit into a group or community
Examples
« accept students for graduate study »
« We'll have to vote on whether or not to admit a new member »
24.
ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial
Examples
« take a pulse »
« A reading was taken of the earth's tremors »
25.
be a student of a certain subject
Examples
« She is reading for the bar exam »
26.
take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs
Examples
« the accident claimed three lives »
« The hard work took its toll on her »
27.
head into a specified direction
Examples
« The escaped convict took to the hills »
« We made for the mountains »
28.
aim or direct at
Examples
« as of blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment »
« Please don't aim at your little brother! »
« He trained his gun on the burglar »
« Don't train your camera on the women »
« Take a swipe at one's opponent »
29.
be seized or affected in a specified way
Examples
« take sick »
« be taken drunk »
30.
have with oneself
Examples
« have on one's person »
« She always takes an umbrella »
« I always carry money »
« She packs a gun when she goes into the mountains »
31.
engage for service under a term of contract
Examples
« We took an apartment on a quiet street »
« Let's rent a car »
« Shall we take a guide in Rome? »
32.
receive or obtain by regular payment
Examples
« We take the Times every day »
33.
buy, select
Examples
« I'll take a pound of that sausage »
34.
to get into a position of having, e.g., safety, comfort
Examples
« take shelter from the storm »
35.
have sex with
Examples
« archaic use »
« He had taken this woman when she was most vulnerable »
36.
lay claim to
Examples
« as of an idea »
« She took credit for the whole idea »
Antonyms
disclaim
37.
be designed to hold or take
Examples
« This surface will not take the dye »
38.
be capable of holding or containing
Examples
« This box won't take all the items »
« The flask holds one gallon »
39.
develop a habit
Examples
« He took to visiting bars »
40.
proceed along in a vehicle
Examples
« We drive the turnpike to work »
41.
obtain by winning
Examples
« Winner takes all »
« He took first prize »
42.
be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
Examples
« He got AIDS »
« She came down with pneumonia »
« She took a chill »
Noun
take
Definitions
1.
the income arising from land or other property
Examples
« the average return was about 5% »
2.
the act of photographing a scene or part of a scene without interruption