Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Take
Take
,Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Took
(toŏk)
; p. p.
Taken
(tāk’n)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Taking
.] [Icel.
taka
; akin to Sw. taga
, Dan. tage
, Goth. tēkan
to touch; of uncertain origin.] 1.
In an active sense; To lay hold of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one’s hold or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey.
Hence, specifically:
–(a)
To obtain possession of by force or artifice; to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one's power or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner;
as, to
; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; – said of a disease, misfortune, or the like. take
an army, a city, or a shipThis man was
taken
of the Jews. Acts xxiii. 27.
Men in their loose, unguarded hours they
Not that themselves are wise, but others weak.
take
;Not that themselves are wise, but others weak.
Pope.
They that come abroad after these showers are commonly
taken
with sickness. Bacon.
There he blasts the tree and
And makes milch kine yield blood.
takes
the cattleAnd makes milch kine yield blood.
Shakespeare
(b)
To gain or secure the interest or affection of; to captivate; to engage; to interest; to charm.
Neither let her
take
thee with her eyelids. Prov. vi. 25.
Cleombroutus was so
taken
with this prospect, that he had no patience. Wake.
I know not why, but there was a something in those half-seen features, – a charm in the very shadow that hung over their imagined beauty, – which
took
me more than all the outshining loveliness of her companions. Moore.
(c)
To make selection of; to choose; also, to turn to; to have recourse to;
as, to
. take
the road to the rightSaul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was
taken
. 1 Sam. xiv. 42.
The violence of storming is the course which God is forced to
take
for the destroying . . . of sinners. Hammond.
(d)
To employ; to use; to occupy; hence, to demand; to require;
as, it
. takes
so much cloth to make a coat; it takes
five hours to get to Boston from New York by carThis man always
takes
time . . . before he passes his judgments. I. Watts.
(e)
To form a likeness of; to copy; to delineate; to picture;
as, to
. take
a picture of a personBeauty alone could beauty
take
so right. Dryden.
(f)
To draw; to deduce; to derive.
[R.]
The firm belief of a future judgment is the most forcible motive to a good life, because
taken
from this consideration of the most lasting happiness and misery. Tillotson.
(g)
To assume; to adopt; to acquire, as shape; to permit to one's self; to indulge or engage in; to yield to; to have or feel; to enjoy or experience, as rest, revenge, delight, shame; to form and adopt, as a resolution; – used in general senses, limited by a following complement, in many idiomatic phrases;
as, to
. take
a resolution; I take
the liberty to say(h)
To lead; to conduct;
as, to
. take
a child to church(i)
To carry; to convey; to deliver to another; to hand over;
as, he
. took
the book to the bindery; he took
a dictionary with himHe
took
me certain gold, I wot it well. Chaucer.
(k)
To remove; to withdraw; to deduct; – with from;
as, to
. take
the breath from one; to take
two from four2.
In a somewhat passive sense, to receive; to bear; to endure; to acknowledge; to accept.
Specifically:
–(a)
To accept, as something offered; to receive; not to refuse or reject; to admit.
Ye shall
take
no satisfaction for the life of a murderer. Num. xxxv. 31.
Let not a widow be
taken
into the number under threescore. 1 Tim. v. 10.
(b)
To receive as something to be eaten or drunk; to partake of; to swallow;
as, to
. take
food or wine(c)
Not to refuse or balk at; to undertake readily; to clear;
as, to
. take
a hedge or fence(d)
To bear without ill humor or resentment; to submit to; to tolerate; to endure;
as, to
. take
a joke; he will take
an affront from no man(e)
To admit, as, something presented to the mind; not to dispute; to allow; to accept; to receive in thought; to entertain in opinion; to understand; to interpret; to regard or look upon; to consider; to suppose;
as, to
. take
a thing for granted; this I take
to be man's motive; to take
men for spiesYou
take
me right. Bacon.
Charity,
taken
in its largest extent, is nothing else but the science love of God and our neighbor. Wake.
[He]
took
that for virtue and affection which was nothing but vice in a disguise. South.
You'd doubt his sex, and
take
him for a girl. Tate.
(f)
To accept the word or offer of; to receive and accept; to bear; to submit to; to enter into agreement with; – used in general senses;
as, to
. take
a form or shapeI
take
thee at thy word. Rowe.
Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command; . . .
Not
Not
take
the mold. Dryden.
To be taken aback
, To take advantage of
, To take air
, etc. To take aim
, to direct the eye or weapon; to aim.
– To take along
, to carry, lead, or convey.
– To take arms
, to commence war or hostilities.
– To take away
, to carry off; to remove; to cause deprivation of; to do away with;
“By your own law, I take your life away.” as, a bill for
. taking away
the votes of bishopsDryden.
– To take breath
, to stop, as from labor, in order to breathe or rest; to recruit or refresh one's self.
– To take care
, to exercise care or vigilance; to be solicitous.
“Doth God take care for oxen?” 1 Cor. ix. 9.
– To take care of
, to have the charge or care of; to care for; to superintend or oversee.
– To take down
. (a)
To reduce; to bring down, as from a high, or higher, place;
“I never attempted to be impudent yet, that I was not taken down.” as,
; hence, to bring lower; to depress; to abase or humble; to take down
a bookas,
. to take down
pride, or the proudGoldsmith.
(b)
To swallow;
as,
. to take down
a potion(c)
To pull down; to pull to pieces;
as,
. to take down
a house or a scaffold(d)
To record; to write down;
– as,
. to take down
a man's words at the time he utters themTo take effect
, To take fire
To take ground to the right
or
To take ground to the left
(Mil.)
, to extend the line to the right or left; to move, as troops, to the right or left.
– To take heart
, to gain confidence or courage; to be encouraged.
– To take heed
, to be careful or cautious.
“Take heed what doom against yourself you give.” Dryden.
– To take heed to
, to attend with care,
– as,
. take heed to
thy waysTo take hold of
, to seize; to fix on.
– To take horse
, to mount and ride a horse.
– To take in
. (a)
To inclose; to fence.
(b)
To encompass or embrace; to comprise; to comprehend.
(c)
To draw into a smaller compass; to contract; to brail or furl;
as,
. to take in
sail(d)
To cheat; to circumvent; to gull; to deceive.
[Colloq.]
(e)
To admit; to receive;
as, a leaky vessel will
. take in
water(f)
To win by conquest.
[Obs.]
For now Troy's broad-wayed town
He shall
He shall
take in
. Chapman.
(g)
To receive into the mind or understanding.
“Some bright genius can take in a long train of propositions.” I. Watts.
(h)
To receive regularly, as a periodical work or newspaper; to take.
[Eng.]
– To take in hand
. See under
– Hand
. To take in vain
, to employ or utter as in an oath.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Ex. xx. 7.
– To take issue
. See under
– Issue
. To take leave
. See , 2.
– Leave
, Noun.
To take a newspaper
, magazine
, or the liketo receive it regularly, as on paying the price of subscription.
– To take notice
, to observe, or to observe with particular attention.
– To take notice of
. See under
– Notice
. To take oath
, to swear with solemnity, or in a judicial manner.
– To take on
, to assume; to take upon one's self;
– as,
. to take on
a character or responsibilityTo take one's own course
, to act one's pleasure; to pursue the measures of one's own choice.
– To take order for
. See under
– Order
. To take order with
, to check; to hinder; to repress.
[Obs.]
Bacon.
– To take orders
. (a)
To receive directions or commands.
(b)
(Eccl.)
To enter some grade of the ministry. See , 10.
– Order
, Noun.
To take out
. (a)
To remove from within a place; to separate; to deduct.
(b)
To draw out; to remove; to clear or cleanse from;
as,
. to take out
a stain or spot from cloth(c)
To produce for one's self;
as,
. to take out
a patent(d)
To put an end to;
as,
. to take
the conceit out
of a man(e)
To escort;
– as,
. to take out
to dinnerTo take over
, to undertake; to take the management of.
[Eng.]
Cross (Life of G. Eliot).
– To take part
, to share;
– as, they
. take part
in our rejoicingTo take part with
, to unite with; to join with.
– To take place
, root
, sides
, stock
, etc. To take the air
. (a)
(Falconry)
To seek to escape by trying to rise higher than the falcon; – said of a bird.
(b)
See under
– Air
. To take the field
. (Mil.)
See under
– Field
. To take thought
, to be concerned or anxious; to be solicitous.
Matt. vi. 25, 27.
– To take to heart
. See under
– Heart
. To take to task
, to reprove; to censure.
– To take up
. (a)
To lift; to raise.
Hood.
(b)
To buy or borrow;
as,
. to take up
goods to a large amount; to take up
money at the bank(c)
To begin;
as,
. to take up
a lamentationEzek. xix. 1.
(d)
To gather together; to bind up; to fasten or to replace;
; specifically as,
to take up
raveled stitches(Surg.)
, to fasten with a ligature.
(e)
To engross; to employ; to occupy or fill;
as,
. to take up
the time; to take up
a great deal of room(f)
To take permanently.
“Arnobius asserts that men of the finest parts . . . took up their rest in the Christian religion.” Addison.
(g)
To seize; to catch; to arrest;
as,
. to take up
a thief; to take up
vagabonds(h)
To admit; to believe; to receive.
[Obs.]
The ancients
took up
experiments upon credit. Bacon.
(i)
To answer by reproof; to reprimand; to berate.
One of his relations
took
him up
roundly. L'Estrange.
(k)
To begin where another left off; to keep up in continuous succession; to take up (a topic, an activity).
Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon
The moon
takes up
the wondrous tale. Addison.
(l)
To assume; to adopt as one's own; to carry on or manage;
“They take up our old trade of conquering.” as,
. to take up
the quarrels of our neighbors; to take up
current opinionsDryden.
(m)
To comprise; to include.
“The noble poem of Palemon and Arcite . . . takes up seven years.” Dryden.
(n)
To receive, accept, or adopt for the purpose of assisting; to espouse the cause of; to favor.
Ps. xxvii. 10.
(o)
To collect; to exact, as a tax; to levy;
“Take up commodities upon our bills.” as,
. to take up
a contributionShak.
(p)
To pay and receive;
as,
. to take up
a note at the bank(q)
(Mach.)
To remove, as by an adjustment of parts;
as,
; also, to make tight, as by winding, or drawing; to take up
lost motion, as in a bearingas,
. to take up
slack thread in sewing(r)
To make up; to compose; to settle;
as,
. to take up
a quarrel[Obs.]
Shak.
– (s) To accept from someone, as a wager or a challenge;
– as, J.
. took
M. up
on his challengeTo take up arms
. Same as
– To take arms
, above. To take upon one's self
. (a)
To assume; to undertake;
as, he
. takes upon himself
to assert that the fact is capable of proof(b)
To appropriate to one's self; to allow to be imputed to, or inflicted upon, one's self;
– as,
. to take upon one's self
a punishmentTo take up the gauntlet
. See under
Gauntlet
. Take
,Verb.
I.
1.
To take hold; to fix upon anything; to have the natural or intended effect; to accomplish a purpose;
as, he was inoculated, but the virus did not
. take
Shak.
When flame
taketh
and openeth, it giveth a noise. Bacon.
In impressions from mind to mind, the impression
taketh
, but is overcome . . . before it work any manifest effect. Bacon.
2.
To please; to gain reception; to succeed.
Each wit may praise it for his own dear sake,
And hint he writ it, if the thing should
And hint he writ it, if the thing should
take
. Addison.
3.
To move or direct the course; to resort; to betake one's self; to proceed; to go; – usually with to;
as, the fox, being hard pressed,
. took
to the hedge4.
To admit of being pictured, as in a photograph;
as, his face does not
. take
wellTo take after
. (a)
To learn to follow; to copy; to imitate;
as, he
. takes after
a good pattern(b)
To resemble;
– as, the son
. takes after
his fatherTo take in with
, to resort to.
[Obs.]
Bacon.
– To take on
, to be violently affected; to express grief or pain in a violent manner.
– To take to
. (a)
To apply one's self to; to be fond of; to become attached to;
“If he does but take to you, . . . you will contract a great friendship with him.” as,
. to take to
evil practicesWalpole.
(b)
To resort to; to betake one's self to.
“Men of learning, who take to business, discharge it generally with greater honesty than men of the world.” Addison.
– To take up
. (a)
To stop.
[Obs.]
“Sinners at last take up and settle in a contempt of religion.” Tillotson.
(b)
To reform.
[Obs.]
Locke.
– To take up with
. (a)
To be contended to receive; to receive without opposition; to put up with;
“In affairs which may have an extensive influence on our future happiness, we should not take up with probabilities.” as,
. to take up with
plain fareI. Watts.
(b)
To lodge with; to dwell with.
[Obs.]
L'Estrange.
– To take with
, to please.
Bacon.
2.
(Print.)
The quantity or copy given to a compositor at one time.
Webster 1828 Edition
Take
TAKE
,Verb.
T.
it to be so. It seems also to be allied to Sax.teogan, to draw, to tug, L. duco; for we say, to take a likeness, and to draw a likeness. We use taking also for engaging, attracting. We say, a child takes to his mother or nurse, and a man takes to drink; which seem to include attaching and holding. We observe that take and teach are radically the same word.]
1.
In a general sense, to get hold or gain possession of a thing in almost any manner, either by receiving it when offered, or by using exertion to obtain it. Take differs from seize, as it does not always imply haste, force or violence. It more generally denotes to gain or receive into possession in a peaceable manner, either passively or by active exertions. Thus,2.
To receive what is offered. Then I took the cup at the Lord's hand. Jer.25.
3.
To lay hold of; to get into one's power for keeping. No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge. Deut.24.
4.
To receive with a certain affection of mind. He takes it in good part; or he takes it very ill.5.
To catch by surprise or artifice; to circumvent. Men in their loose unguarded hours they take,
Not that themselves are wise, but others weak.
6.
To seize; to make prisoner. The troops entered, slew and took three hundred janizaries. This man was taken of the Jews. Acts.23.
7.
To captivate with pleasure; to engage the affections; to delight. Neither let her take thee with her eyelids. Prov.6.
Cleombrotus was to taken with this prospect, that he had no patience.
8.
To get into one's power by engines or nets; to entrap; to ensnare; as, to take foxes with traps; to take fishes with nets, or with hook and line.9.
To understand in a particular sense; to receive as meaning. I take your meaning. You take me right.
Charity, taken in its largest extent, is nothing else but the sincere love to God and our neighbor.
10. To exact and receive.
Take no usury of him or increase. Lev.25.
11. To employ; to occupy. The prudent man always takes time for deliberation, before he passes judgment.
12. To agree to; to close in with; to comply with.
I take thee at thy word.
13. To form and adopt; as, to take a resolution.
14. To catch; to embrace; to seize; as, to take one by the hand; to take in the arms.
15. To admit; to receive as an impression; to suffer; as, to take a form or shape.
Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command;
Now take the mold--
16. To obtain by active exertion; as, to take revenge or satisfaction for an injury.
17. To receive; to receive into the mind.
They took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. Acts.4.
It appeared in his face that he took great contentment in this our question.
18. To swallow, as meat or drink; as, to take food; to take a glass of wine.
19. To swallow, as medicine; as, to take pills; to take stimulants.
20. To choose; to elect. Take which you please. But the sense of choosing, in this phrase, is derived from the connection of take with please. So we say, take your choice.
21. To copy.
Beauty alone could beauty take so right.
22. To fasten on; to seize. The frost has taken the corn; the worms have taken the vines.
Wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him, and he foameth-- Mark 9.
23. To accept; not to refuse. He offered me a fee, but I would not take it.
Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer. Num.35.
24. To adopt.
I will take you to me for a people. Ex.6.
25. To admit.
Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore. 1 Tim 5.
26. To receive, as any temper or disposition of mind; as, to take shame to one's self; to take delight; to take pride or pleasure.
27. To endure; to bear without resentment; or to submit to without attempting to obtain satisfaction. He will take an affront from no man. Cannot you take a jest?
28. To draw; to deduce.
The firm belief of a future judgment is the most forcible motive to a good life, because taken from this consideration of the most lasting happiness and misery.
29. To assume; as, I take the liberty to say.
30. To allow; to admit; to receive as true, or not disputed; as, to take a thing for granted.
31. To suppose; to receive in thought; to entertain in opinion; to understand. This I take to be the man's motive.
He took that for virtue and affection which was nothing but vice in disguise.
You'd doubt his sex, and take him for a girl.
32. To seize; to invade; as, to be taken with a fever.
33. To have recourse to; as, the sparrow takes a bush; the cat takes a tree. [In this sense, we usually say, the bird takes to a bush, the squirrel takes to a tree.]
34. To receive into the mind.
Those do best, who take material hints to be judged by history.
35. To hire; to rent; to obtain possession on lease; as, to take a house or farm for a year.
36. To admit in copulation.
37. To draw; to copy; to paint a likeness; as a likeness taken by Reynolds.
38. To conquer and cause to surrender; to gain possession of by force or capitulation; as, to take an army, a city or a ship.
39. To be discovered or detected. He was taken in the very act.
40. To require or be necessary. It takes so much cloth to make a coat.
To take away, to deprive of; to bereave; as a bill for taking away the votes of bishops.
By your own law I take your life away.
1.
To remove; as, to take away the consciousness of pleasure.To take care, to be careful; to be solicitous for.
Doth God take care for oxen? 1 Cor.9.
1.
To be cautious or vigilant.To take care of, to superintend or oversee; to have the charge of keeping or securing.
To take a course, to resort to; to have recourse to measures.
The violence of storming is the course which God is forced to take for the destroying of sinners.
To take one's own course, to act one's pleasure; to pursue the measures of one's own choice.
To take down, to reduce; to bring lower; to depress; as, to take down pride, or the proud.
1.
To swallow; as, to take down a potion.2.
To pull down; to pull to pieces; as, to take down a house or a scaffold.3.
To write; as, to take down a man's words at the time he utters them.To take from, to deprive of.
I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee. 1 Sam.17.
1.
To deduct; to subtract; as, to take one number from another.2.
To detract; to derogate.To take heed, to be careful or cautious.
Take heed what doom against yourself you give.
To take heed to, to attend to with care. Take heed to thy ways.
To take hold, to seize; to fix on.take in, to inclose; to fence.
1.
To encompass or embrace; to comprise; to comprehend.2.
To draw into a smaller compass; to contract; to brail or furl; as, to take in sail.3.
To cheat; to circumvent; to gull. [Not elegant.]4.
To admit; to receive; as, a vessel will take in more water. The landlord said he could take in no more lodgers.5.
To win by conquest. [Not in use.]6.
To receive into the mind or understanding. Some bright genius can take in a long train of propositions.
To take in hand, to undertake; to attempt to execute any thing. Luke 1.
To take notice, to observe; or to observe with particular attention.
1.
To show by some act that observation is made; to make remark upon. He heard what was said, but took no notice of it.To take oath, to swear with solemnity, or in a judicial manner.
To take off, to remove, in various ways; to remove from the top of any thing; as, to take off a load; to take off one's hat, &c.
1.
To cut off; as, to take off the head or a limb.2.
To destroy; as, to take off life.3.
To remove; to invalidate; as, to take off the force of an argument.4.
To withdraw; to call or draw away. Keep foreign ideas from taking off the mind from its present pursuit.
5.
To swallow; as, to take off a glass of wine.6.
To purchase; to take from in trade. The Spaniards having no commodities that we will take off--
7.
To copy. Take off all their models in wood.
8.
To imitate; to mimic.9.
To find place for; as more scholars than preferments can take off.To take off from, to lessen; to remove in part. This takes off from the deformity of vice.
To take order with, to check. [Not much used.]
To take out, to remove from within a place; to separate; to deduct.
1.
To draw out; to remove; to clear or cleanse from; as, to take out a stain or spot from cloth; to take out an unpleasant taste from wine.To take part, to share. Take part in our rejoicing.
To take part with, to unite with; to join with.
To take place, to happen; to come, or come to pass.
1.
To have effect; to prevail. Where arms take place, all other pleas are vain.
To have effect; to prevail.
Where arms take place, all other pleas are vain.
To take effect, to have the intended effect; to be efficacious.
To take root, to live and grow; as a plant.
1.
To be established; as principles.To take up, to lift; to raise.
1.
To buy or borrow; as, to take up goods to a large amount; to take up money at the bank.2.
To begin; as, to take up a lamentation. Ezek. 19.3.
In surgery, to fasten with a ligature.4.
To engross; to employ; to engage the attention; as, to take up the time.5.
To have final recourse to. Arnobius asserts that men of the finest parts took up their rest in the christian religion.
6.
To seize; to catch; to arrest; as, to take up a thief; to take up vagabonds.7.
To admit. The ancients took up experiments upon credit.
8.
To answer by reproof; to reprimand. One of his relations took him up roundly.
9.
To begin where another left off. Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale.
10. To occupy; to fill; as, to take up a great deal of room.
11. To assume; to carry on or manage for another; as, to take up the quarrels of our neighbors.
12. To comprise; to include.
The noble poem of Palemon and Arcite--takes up seven years.
13. To adopt; to assume; as, to take up current opinions.
They take up our old trade of conquering.
14. To collect; to exact a tax.
15. To pay and receive; as, to take up a note at the bank.
To take up arms,
To take arms, To begin war; to begin resistance by force.
To take upon, to assume; to undertake. He takes upon himself to assert that the fact is capable of proof.
1.
To appropriate to; to admit to be imputed to; as, to take upon one's self a punishment.take side, to join one of two differing parties; to take an interest in one party.
To take to heart, to be sensibly affected by; to feel any thing sensibly.
To take advantage of, to catch by surprise; or to make use of a favorable state of things to the prejudice of another.
To take the advantage of, to use any advantage offered.
To take air, to be divulged or made public; to be disclosed; as a secret.
To take the air, to expose one's self to the open air.
To take a course, to begin a certain direction or way of proceeding.
To take leave, to bid adieu or farewell.
To take breath, to rest; to be recruited or refreshed.
To take aim, to direct the eye or a weapon to a particular object.
To take along, to carry, lead or convey.
To take a way, to begin a particular course or direction.
TAKE
,Verb.
I.
The defluxion taking to his breast, wasted his lungs.
1.
To please; to gain reception. The play will not take, unless it is set off with proper scenes. Each wit may praise it for his own dear sake,
And hint he writ it, if the thing should take.
2.
To have the intended or natural effect. In impressions from mind to mind, the impression taketh.
3.
To catch; to fix, or be fixed. He was inoculated, but the infection did not take. When flame taketh and openeth, it giveth a noise.
To take after, to learn to follow; to copy; to imitate; as, he takes after a good pattern.
1.
To resemble; as, the son takes after his father.To take in with, to resort to.
To take for, to mistake; to suppose or think one thing to be another.
The lord of the land took us for spies. Gen.42.
take on, to be violently affected; as, the child takes on at a great rate.
1.
To claim, as a character. I take not on me here as a physician.
To take to, to apply to; to be fond of; to become attached to; as, to take to books; to take to evil practices.
1.
To resort to; to betake to. Men of learning who take to business, discharge it generally with greater honesty than men of the world.
To take up, to stop.
Sinners at last take up and settle in a contempt of all religion. [Not in use.]
1.
To reform. [Not in use.]To take up with, to be contented to receive; to receive without opposition; as, to take up with plain fare.
In affairs which may have an extensive influence on our future happiness, we should not take up with probabilities.
1.
To lodge; to dwell. [Not in use.]To take with, to please. The proposal takes well with him.