What does "take" mean?
The or an act of taking.
Take
/teɪk/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The or an act of taking.
- Grammar: take is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abduct, abide, absorb, abstract.
- Useful contrasts: present tense form, allotting, avoid.
- Usage evidence: It would take forever for me to explain everything.
How to use "take"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "take" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "take" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "take" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "take" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "take" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abduct" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "take", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The or an act of taking.
"The 1994 Amendments address the incidental take of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing, not the direct lethal take of pinnipeds for management purposes."
- 2 the act of photographing a scene or part of a scene without interruption wordnet
- 3 Something that is taken; a haul.; Money that is taken in, (legal or illegal) proceeds, income; (in particular) profits; takings.
"Why would anyone go along with such things? Money is still the main answer: Almost all prominent climate deniers are on the fossil-fuel take."
- 4 the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property wordnet
- 5 Something that is taken; a haul.; The or a quantity of fish, game animals or pelts, etc which have been taken at one time; catch.
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 An interpretation or view, opinion or assessment; perspective; a statement expressing such a position.
"What's your take on this issue, Fred?"
- 7 An approach, a (distinct) treatment.
"a new take on a traditional dish"
- 8 A scene recorded (filmed) at one time, without an interruption or break; a recording of such a scene.
"It's a take."
- 9 A recording of a musical performance made during an uninterrupted single recording period.
- 10 A visible (facial) response to something, especially something unexpected; a facial gesture in response to an event.
"did a double take and then a triple take"
- 11 An instance of successful inoculation/vaccination.
- 12 A catch of the ball (in cricket, especially one by the wicket-keeper).
- 13 The quantity of copy given to a compositor at one time.
"When the copy arrives, it is taken in hand by the printer, who first of all divides it into "takes" or short portions, distributing these among the various compositors. A take usually consists of a little more than a stickful of matter, but it varies sometimes, for if a new paragraph occurs it is not overlooked. These takes are carefully numbered, and a list is kept of the compositors who take the several pieces."
Verb
- 1 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force. transitive
"They took Charlton's gun from his cold, dead hands."
- 2 be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness wordnet
- 3 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.; To seize or capture. transitive
"take the guards prisoner"
- 4 remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract wordnet
- 5 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.; To catch or get possession of (fish or game). transitive
"took ten catfish in one afternoon"
Show 126 more definitions
- 6 ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial wordnet
- 7 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.; To catch the ball; especially as a wicket-keeper and after the batsman has missed or edged it. transitive
- 8 take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect wordnet
- 9 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.; To appropriate or transfer into one's own possession, sometimes by physically carrying off. transitive
"Billy took her pencil."
- 10 be seized or affected in a specified way wordnet
- 11 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.; To exact. transitive
"take a toll"
- 12 be a student of a certain subject wordnet
- 13 To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.; To capture or win (a piece or trick) in a game. transitive
"took the next two tricks"
- 14 interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression wordnet
- 15 To receive or accept (something, especially something which was given). transitive
"took third place"
- 16 accept or undergo, often unwillingly wordnet
- 17 To receive or accept (something, especially something which was given).; To receive or accept (something) as payment or compensation. transitive
"The store doesn't take checks."
- 18 pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives wordnet
- 19 To receive or accept (something, especially something which was given).; To accept and follow (advice, etc.). transitive
"take my advice"
- 20 take into consideration for exemplifying purposes wordnet
- 21 To receive or accept (something, especially something which was given).; To receive into some relationship. transitive
"take a wife"
- 22 take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs wordnet
- 23 To receive or accept (something, especially something which was given).; To receive or acquire (property) by law (e.g. as an heir). intransitive, transitive
"There was no intestacy, and they did not take under the will as heirs, but the widow and the children, under the residuary devise, take as tenants in common."
- 24 lay claim to; as of an idea wordnet
- 25 To receive or accept (something, especially something which was given).; To accept, be given (rightly or wrongly), or assume (especially as if by right). transitive
"He took all the credit for the project, although he had done almost none of the work."
- 26 make a film or photograph of something wordnet
- 27 To remove. transitive
"take two eggs from the carton"
- 28 obtain by winning wordnet
- 29 To remove.; To remove or end by death; to kill. transitive
"The earthquake took many lives."
- 30 point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards wordnet
- 31 To remove.; To subtract. transitive
"Take one from three and you are left with two."
- 32 serve oneself to, or consume regularly wordnet
- 33 To have sex with. transitive
"Sometimes he would have her standing up by the side of the bed, not bothering to undress, merely undoing his fly and using her like a cheap envelope to receive his lust. At others he would take her on the floor of her clothes closet and then leave her, locked in for the rest of the night, awash with his sex, until her embarrassed maid freed her the next morning."
- 34 get into one's hands, take physically wordnet
- 35 To defeat (someone or something) in a fight. transitive
"Don't try to take that guy. He's bigger than you."
- 36 have sex with; archaic use wordnet
- 37 To grasp or grip. transitive
"He took her hand in his."
- 38 travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route wordnet
- 39 To select or choose; to pick. transitive
"Take whichever bag you like."
- 40 proceed along in a vehicle wordnet
- 41 To select or choose; to pick.; To adopt (select) as one's own. transitive
"She took his side in every argument."
- 42 occupy or take on wordnet
- 43 To carry or lead (something or someone). transitive
"She took her sword with her everywhere she went."
- 44 take somebody somewhere wordnet
- 45 To carry or lead (something or someone).; To transport or carry; to convey to another place. especially, transitive
"The next bus will take you to Metz."
- 46 head into a specified direction wordnet
- 47 To carry or lead (something or someone).; To lead (to a place); to serve as a means of reaching. transitive, usually
"These stairs take you down to the basement."
- 48 take something or somebody with oneself somewhere wordnet
- 49 To carry or lead (something or someone).; To pass (or attempt to pass) through or around. transitive
"She took the steps two or three at a time."
- 50 experience or feel or submit to wordnet
- 51 To carry or lead (something or someone).; To escort or conduct (a person). transitive
"He took her to lunch at the new restaurant, took her to the movies, and then took her home."
- 52 to get into a position of having, e.g., safety, comfort wordnet
- 53 To carry or lead (something or someone).; To go. reflexive, transitive
"In a rare example of clemency Pope John assured him of a pardon, perhaps on the grounds that the innocent monk had merely been the victim of Louis's overbearing ambitions. Nicholas then took himself to Avignon where in August 1330 he formally renounced his claim to the papacy."
- 54 take into one's possession wordnet
- 55 To use as a means of transportation. transitive
"take the ferry"
- 56 conquer by force wordnet
- 57 To obtain for use by payment or lease. transitive
"She took a condo at the beach for the summer."
- 58 buy, select wordnet
- 59 To obtain for use by payment or lease.; To obtain or receive regularly by (paid) subscription. transitive
"They took two magazines."
- 60 engage for service under a term of contract wordnet
- 61 To receive (medicine or drugs) into one's body, e.g. by inhalation or swallowing; to ingest. transitive
"take two of these and call me in the morning"
- 62 receive or obtain regularly wordnet
- 63 To consume (food or drink). dated, transitive
"The general took dinner at seven o'clock."
- 64 make use of or accept for some purpose wordnet
- 65 To undergo; to put oneself into, to be subjected to. transitive
"take sun-baths"
- 66 receive willingly something given or offered wordnet
- 67 To experience or feel. transitive
"She takes pride in her work."
- 68 admit into a group or community wordnet
- 69 To submit to; to endure (without ill humor, resentment, or physical failure). transitive
"took a pay cut"
- 70 require (time or space) wordnet
- 71 To suffer; to endure (a hardship or damage). transitive
"The ship took a direct hit and was destroyed."
- 72 assume, as of positions or roles wordnet
- 73 To participate in. transitive
"She took a vacation to France but spent the whole time feeling miserable that her husband couldn't be there with her."
- 74 carry out wordnet
- 75 To cause to change to a specified state or condition. transitive
"He had to take it apart to fix it."
- 76 develop a habit; apply oneself to a practice or occupation wordnet
- 77 To regard in a specified way. transitive
"He took the news badly."
- 78 require as useful, just, or proper wordnet
- 79 To conclude or form (a decision or an opinion) in the mind. transitive
"took the decision to close its last remaining outlet"
- 80 be capable of holding or containing wordnet
- 81 To understand (especially in a specified way). transitive
"Don't take my comments as an insult."
- 82 have with oneself; have on one's person wordnet
- 83 To believe, to accept the statements of. transitive
"take her word for it"
- 84 be designed to hold or take wordnet
- 85 To assume or suppose; to reckon; to regard or consider. transitive
"I took him to be a person of honor."
- 86 To draw, derive, or deduce (a meaning from something). transitive
"take it from her comments she won't be there."
- 87 To derive (as a title); to obtain from a source. transitive
""As I Lay Dying" takes its title from Book XI of Homer's "Odyssey""
- 88 To catch or contract (an illness, etc.). transitive
"took a chill"
- 89 To come upon or catch (in a particular state or situation). transitive
- 90 To captivate or charm; to gain or secure the interest or affection of. transitive
"took her fancy"
- 91 To absorb or be impregnated by (dye, ink, etc.); to be susceptible to being treated by (polish, etc.). transitive
"cloth that takes dye well"
- 92 To let in (water). transitive
"The British brought the ship into Haifa harbor. The ship was taking seawater in 4 places, and the passengers had been without fresh water for the last few days of their voyage, with several ill from drinking seawater."
- 93 To require (a person, resource or thing in order to achieve an outcome). transitive
"Looks like it's gonna take a taller person to get that down."
- 94 To proceed to fill. transitive
"He took a seat in the front row."
- 95 To fill, occupy, require, or use up (space). transitive
"His collection takes a lot of space."
- 96 To fill or require: to last or expend (an amount of time). transitive
"Unloading the moving truck took us half a day, but this mess of a house will take us all weekend to tidy up. It takes ages to finish house moving!"
- 97 To avail oneself of; to exploit. transitive
"He took that opportunity to leave France."
- 98 To practice; perform; execute; carry out; do. transitive
"take a walk"
- 99 To assume or perform (a form or role).; To assume (a form). transitive
"took the form of a duck"
- 100 To assume or perform (a form or role).; To perform (a role). transitive
"take the part of the villain/hero"
- 101 To assume or perform (a form or role).; To assume and undertake the duties of (a job, an office, etc.). transitive
"take office"
- 102 To bind oneself by. transitive
"he took the oath of office last night"
- 103 To go into, through, or along. transitive
"go down two blocks and take the next left"
- 104 To go into, through, or along.; To go or move into. transitive
"the witness took the stand"
- 105 To have and use one's recourse to. transitive
"take cover/shelter/refuge"
- 106 To ascertain or determine by measurement, examination or inquiry. transitive
"take her pulse / temperature / blood pressure"
- 107 To write down; to get in, or as if in, writing. transitive
"He took a mental inventory of his supplies."
- 108 To make (a photograph, film, or other reproduction of something). transitive
"She took a video of their encounter."
- 109 To make a picture, photograph, etc. of (a person, scene, etc.). dated, transitive
"The photographer will take you sitting down."
- 110 To obtain money from, especially by swindling. transitive
"took me for ten grand"
- 111 To apply oneself to the study of. transitive
"As a child, she took ballet."
- 112 To deal with. transitive
"take matters as they arise"
- 113 To consider in a particular way, or to consider as an example. transitive
"I've had a lot of problems recently: take last Monday, for example. My car broke down on the way to work. Then […] etc."
- 114 To decline to swing at (a pitched ball); to refrain from hitting at, and allow to pass. transitive
"He'll probably take this one."
- 115 To accept as an input to a relation.; To have to be used with (a certain grammatical form, etc.). transitive
"This verb takes the dative; that verb takes the genitive."
- 116 To accept as an input to a relation.; To accept (zero or more arguments). transitive
"The function takes two arguments, an array of size n and an integer k."
- 117 To buy. Cyprus, informal, transitive
"take a ticket"
- 118 To get or accept (something) into one's possession. intransitive
"My husband and I have a dysfunctional marriage. He just takes and takes; he never gives."
- 119 To engage, take hold or have effect. intransitive
"And ſo likewiſe Flame percuſſing the Aire ſtrongly, (as when Flame ſuddenly taketh, and openeth,) giueth a Noiſe; So, Great Flames, whiles the one implelleth the other, giue a bellowing Sound."
- 120 To engage, take hold or have effect.; To adhere or be absorbed properly. intransitive, usually
"the dye didn't take"
- 121 To engage, take hold or have effect.; To begin to grow after being grafted or planted; to (literally or figuratively) take root, take hold. intransitive, usually
"not all grafts take"
- 122 To engage, take hold or have effect.; To catch; to engage. intransitive
"At the depot, Hook climbed out, slamming the door twice before the latch took. A train idled on the main track, the engine hissing as it waited for the crew change. From the windows, passengers watched on at the world outside."
- 123 To engage, take hold or have effect.; To win acceptance, favor or favorable reception; to charm people. dated, intransitive, possibly
"Each VVit may praiſe it, for his ovvn dear Sake, / And hint He vvrit it, if the Thing ſhou'd take."
- 124 To become; to be affected in a specified way. copulative, intransitive
"They took ill within 3 hours."
- 125 To be able to be accurately or beautifully photographed. dated, intransitive, possibly
"'Photographs never do give anything but a pale imitation, you know, but the likenesses, as likenesses, are good. She "takes well" as they say, and those were done lately.'"
- 126 An intensifier. dialectal, intransitive, proscribed
"I don't know but she would, but just then poor Sukey came in, and looked so frightened and scarey—Sukey is a pretty gal, and looks so trembling and delicate, that it's kinder a shame to plague her, and so I took and come away for that time."
- 127 To deliver, bring, give (something) to (someone). obsolete, transitive
"Jeſus perceaved there wylynes ãd ſayde: Why tempte ye me ye ypocrytes: lett me ſe the tribute money. And they toke hym a peny."
- 128 To give or deliver (a blow, to someone); to strike or hit. dialectal, obsolete, slang, transitive
"He took me a blow on the head."
- 129 To visit; to include in a course of travel. archaic
"Now about a Year ſince, R. B. and B. F. took that City in the Way from Frederickſtadt to Amſterdam, and gave them a Viſit: In which they informed them ſomewhat of Friend's Principles, and recommended the Teſtimony of TRUTH to them, as both a nearer and more certain Thing than the utmoſt of De Labadie's Doctrine. They left them tender and loving."
- 130 To portray in a painting. obsolete, rare
"Beauty alone could beauty take ſo right: / Her dreſs, her ſhape, her matchleſs grace, / Were all obferv'd, as well as heavenly face."
- 131 Used in phrasal verbs: take in, take off, take on, take out, take to, take something to, take up.
Example
"It would take forever for me to explain everything."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "take"?
Common synonyms include: abduct, abide, absorb, abstract, accede, accede to.
How do you use "take" in a sentence?
It would take forever for me to explain everything.
How do you pronounce "take"?
Pronounced /teɪk/.
Etymology
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 *tēkaną (“to touch”), from pre-Germanic *deh₁g- (“to touch”), possibly a phonetically altered form of Proto-Indo-European *te-th₂g- (“to touch, take”) (see there for details). Gradually displaced native English nim, from Middle English nimen, from Old English niman (“to take”). Cognates Cognate with Scots tak (“to take”), Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk taka (“to take”), Norwegian Bokmål ta (“to take”), Swedish ta (“to take”), Danish tage (“to take, seize”), West Frisian take, taakje (“to grab, steal”), Dutch taken (“to take; grasp”), Middle Low German tacken (“to grasp”). English thack may be from the same root. Compare tackle. Despite superficial similarity, unrelated to Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to take by hand, obtain”), which is instead cognate with English thig (“to beg”).