Intake
//ˈɪnteɪk// noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The place where water, air or other fluid is taken into a pipe or conduit; opposed to outlet. countable, uncountable
- 2 the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing wordnet
- 3 The beginning of a contraction or narrowing in a tube or cylinder. countable, uncountable
- 4 the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating) wordnet
- 5 The quantity taken in. countable, uncountable
"the intake of air"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 an opening through which fluid is admitted to a tube or container wordnet
- 7 An act or instance of taking in. countable, uncountable
"an intake of oxygen or food"
- 8 A nostril, especially a large one. countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
- 9 The people taken into an organization or establishment at a particular time. countable, uncountable
"the new intake of students"
- 10 The process of screening a juvenile offender to decide upon release or referral. countable, uncountable
- 11 A tract of land enclosed. countable, uncountable
- 12 Any kind of cheat or imposition; the act of taking someone in. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To take in or draw in; to bring in from outside. transitive
"Well, I "intook" the general situation west of the Mississippi because I did not get much of a chance to see things east of the Mississippi."
Example
More examples"After his heart attack, Jim had to cut down on his sugar intake."
Etymology
From English dialectal (Northern England/Scotland), deverbal of take in, equivalent to in- + take. More at in-, take.
Related phrases
More for "intake"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.