Meaning of take in English
Table of contents
Pronunciation
/teɪk/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Verb
takeEtymology
late Old English tacan ‘get (especially by force), capture’, from Old Norse taka‘grasp, lay hold of’, of unknown ultimate originDefinitions
1. carry outExamples
- « 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 »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 4. get into one's hands, take physically
Examples
- « Take a cookie! »
- « Can you take this bag, please »
Derived terms
- 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! »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 8. take into one's possession
Examples
- « We are taking an orphan from Romania »
- « I'll take three salmon steaks »
Antonyms
- 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
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 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
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 18. serve oneself to, or consume regularly
Examples
- « Have another bowl of chicken soup! »
- « I don't take sugar in my coffee »
Antonyms
Derived terms
- 19. accept or undergo, often unwillingly
Examples
- « We took a pay cut »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 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? »
Derived terms
- 32. receive or obtain by regular payment
Examples
- « We take the Times every day »
Derived terms
- 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
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
- 39. develop a habit
Examples
- « He took to visiting bars »
- 40. proceed along in a vehicle
Examples
- « We drive the turnpike to work »
Derived terms
- 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 »
Derived terms
Noun
takeDefinitions
1. the income arising from land or other propertyExamples
- « the average return was about 5% »
Derived terms
- 2. the act of photographing a scene or part of a scene without interruption
Derived terms
Famous quotes
- « My dad has no control over who works with me. Me, me and me alone has to take responsibility for anything. » Shane MacGowan
- « I have come close to producing films. But generally by the time they hit the screen, there's about 50 people with producer credits, so what's the point. I usually find scripts I like with no money attached and take them to producers that I know and try to raise finance. » Tim Roth
- « My heroes, my dreams, and my future lay in Yankee Stadium. And they can't take that away from me. » Derek Jeter
- « Today's youth are told to get rich or die trying and they really shouldn't take that attitude forward with them. » Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- « I use filming as an excuse to take classes. I got my certification in sailing for 'Wedding Crashers,' and now I can handle a 26-foot boat. I played a seamstress once, so I took sewing classes. I love dipping into these other lives. » Rachel McAdams