Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Take

Take

(tāk)
,
obs.
p.
p.
of
Take
.
Taken.
Chaucer.

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
take
an army, a city, or a ship
; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; – said of a disease, misfortune, or the like.
This man was
taken
of the Jews.
Acts xxiii. 27.
Men in their loose, unguarded hours they
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
takes
the cattle
And 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 right
.
Saul 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 car
.
This 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 person
.
Beauty 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 him
.
He
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 four
.
2.
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 spies
.
You
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 shape
.
I
take
thee at thy word.
Rowe.
Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command; . . .
Not
take
the mold.
Dryden.
To be taken aback
,
To take advantage of
,
To take air
, etc.
See under
Aback
,
Advantage
, 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;
as, a bill for
taking away
the votes of bishops
.
“By your own law, I take your life away.”
Dryden.
–
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;
as,
to take down
a book
; hence, to bring lower; to depress; to abase or humble;
as,
to take down
pride, or the proud
.
“I never attempted to be impudent yet, that I was not taken down.”
Goldsmith.
(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 them
.
–
To take effect
,
To take fire
.
See under
Effect
, and
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 ways
.
–
To 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
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
Leave
,
Noun.
, 2.
–
To take a newspaper
,
magazine
, or the like
,
to 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 responsibility
.
–
To 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
Order
,
Noun.
, 10.
–
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 dinner
.
–
To 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 rejoicing
.
–
To take part with
,
to unite with; to join with.
–
To take place
,
root
,
sides
,
stock
, etc.
See under
Place
,
Root
,
Side
, 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 lamentation
.
Ezek. xix. 1.
(d)
To gather together; to bind up; to fasten or to replace;
as,
to take up
raveled stitches
; specifically
(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
takes up
the wondrous tale.
Addison.
(l)
To assume; to adopt as one's own; to carry on or manage;
as,
to take up
the quarrels of our neighbors;
to take up
current opinions
.
“They take up our old trade of conquering.”
Dryden.
(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;
as,
to take up
a contribution
.
“Take up commodities upon our bills.”
Shak.
(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,
to take up
lost motion, as in a bearing
; also, to make tight, as by winding, or drawing;
as,
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 challenge
.
–
To 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 punishment
.
–
To 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
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 hedge
.
4.
To admit of being pictured, as in a photograph;
as, his face does not
take
well
.
To 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 father
.
–
To 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;
as,
to take to
evil practices
.
“If he does but take to you, . . . you will contract a great friendship with him.”
Walpole.
(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;
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.”
I. 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.
pret. took; pp. taken. [L. doceo. This word seems to be allied to think, for we say, I think a thing to be so, or I take
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.
To move or direct the course; to resort to, or to attach one's self; to betake one's self. The fox being hard pressed took to the hedge. My friend has left his music and taken to books.
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.

Definition 2024

take

take

See also: také, Tāke, and tåke

English

Verb

take ‎(third-person singular simple present takes, present participle taking, simple past took, past participle taken)

  1. (transitive) To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.
    take a pen off the desk‎; they took Charlton's gun from his cold, dead hands‎
    I'll take that plate off the table‎
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess:
      Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.
    1. (transitive) To seize or capture.
      take the guards prisoner‎; take prisoners‎
      After a bloody battle, they were able to take the city.‎
    2. (transitive) To catch or get possession of (fish or game).
      took ten catfish in one afternoon‎
    3. (transitive, cricket) To catch the ball; especially as a wicket-keeper and after the batsman has missed or edged it.
    4. (transitive) To appropriate or transfer into one's own possession, sometimes by physically carrying off.
      Billy took her pencil‎
    5. (transitive) To exact.
      take a toll‎; take revenge‎
    6. (transitive) To capture or win (a piece or trick) in a game.
      took the next two tricks‎; took Smith's rook‎
  2. (transitive) To receive or accept (something) (especially something given or bestowed, awarded, etc).
    took third place‎; took bribes‎
    the camera takes 35mm film‎
    • Bible, Numbers xxxv.31:
      Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer.‎
    1. (transitive) To receive or accept (something) as payment or compensation.
      the store doesn't take checks‎; she wouldn't take any money for her help‎; do you take credit?‎
      the vending machine only takes bills, it doesn't take coins‎
    2. (transitive) To accept and follow (advice, etc).
      take my advice‎
    3. (transitive) To receive into some relationship.
      take a wife‎; the school only takes new students in the fall‎; the therapist wouldn't take him as a client‎
    4. (transitive, intransitive, law) To receive or acquire (property) by law (e.g. as an heir).
      • 1832, Lodge v Simonton, in Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, page 442:
        There was no intestacy, and they did not take under the will as heirs, […]
      • 1913, Conrad v Conrad et al (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, Feb. 25, 1913), in The Southwestern Reporter, volumes 153-154, page 741:
        The only interest they have in the land arises under the will of E. J. Turnham, under which they take one half of the land.
  3. (transitive) To remove.
    take two egg from the cartoon‎
    1. (transitive) To remove or end by death; to kill.
      the earthquake took many lives‎; the plague took rich and poor alike‎
      cancer took her life‎; he took his life last night‎
    2. (transitive) To subtract.
      take one from three and you are left with two‎
  4. (transitive) To have sex with.
    • 2011, Georges Simenon, Monsieur Monde Vanishes, page 126:
      He remembered her look of distress, her childish "Oh!" when he took her for the first time, clumsily, because he felt ashamed. And each time after that, each time they had sex together, […] he tried to be as gentle as possible, […]
    • 2014 July 3, Susan Calman, during Mock the Week, series 13, episode 4:
      And the queen takes the bishop... this is turning out to be quite the royal wedding!
  5. (transitive) To defeat (someone or something) in a fight.
    Don't try to take that guy. He's bigger than you.‎
    The woman guarding us looks like a professional, but I can take her!‎
  6. (transitive) To grasp or grip.
    he took her hand in his‎
  7. (transitive) To select or choose; to pick.
    take whichever bag you like‎
    she took the best men with her and left the rest to garrison the city‎
    I'll take the blue plates.‎
    • Bible, 1 Samuel xiv 42:
      Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken.
  8. (transitive) To adopt (select) as one's own.
    she took his side in every argument‎
    take a stand on the important issues‎
  9. (transitive) To carry or lead (something or someone).
    she took her sword with her everywhere she went‎
    I'll take the plate with me.‎
    1. (transitive, especially of a vehicle) To transport or carry; to convey to another place.
      The next bus will take you to Metz.‎
      I took him for a ride‎; I took him down to London.‎
    2. (transitive, of a path, road, etc) To lead (to a place); to serve as a means of reaching.
      These stairs take you down to the basement.‎
      Stone Street took us right past the store.‎
    3. (transitive) To pass (or attempt to pass) through or around.
      she took the steps two or three at a time‎; he took the curve / corner too fast‎
      The pony took every hedge and fence in its path.‎
    4. (transitive) To escort or conduct.
      He took her to lunch at the new restaurant, took her to the movies, and then took her home.‎
    5. (reflexive) To go.
      • 2007, Edwin Mullins, The Popes of Avignon, Blue Bridge, 2008, page 59:
        Nicholas then took himself to Avignon where in August 1330 he formally renounced his claim to the papacy.
  10. (transitive) To use as a means of transportation.
    take the ferry‎; I took a plane‎
    he took the bus to London, and then took a train to Manchester‎
  11. (obsolete) To visit; to include in a course of travel.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Penn, Travels in Holland, etc:
      Almost a year since, R. B. and B. F. took that city, in the way from Frederickstadt to Amsterdam, and gave them a visit.
    • 1827, Wesleyan Methodism in Manchester and its vicinity, volume 1, page 7:
      Mr. Clayton had not been long in his new situation, before Mr. Wasley tendered his personal respects to him; "For in May (1733), he set out for Epsworth, and took Manchster in his way to see him."
  12. (transitive) To obtain for use by payment or lease.
    she took a condo at the beach for the summer‎; he took a full-page ad in the Times‎
    1. (transitive) To obtain or receive regularly by (paid) subscription.
      they took two magazines‎
      I used to take The Sunday Times.‎
  13. (transitive) To consume.
    1. (transitive) To receive (medicine) into one's body, e.g. by inhalation or swallowing; to ingest.
      take two of these and call me in the morning‎; take the blue pill‎
      I take aspirin every day to thin my blood.‎
    2. (transitive) To partake of (food or drink); to consume.
      the general took dinner at seven o'clock‎; I'll take two sugars in my coffee, please.‎
      • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, chapter III:
        To such men as Mr. Hellyer, who every night take much strong drink, and on no occasion whatever take any exercise, sixty is the grand climacteric. He was, a year ago, just fifty-nine. Alas! he has not even reached his grand climacteric. Already he is gone. He was cut off by pneumonia, or apoplexy, last Christmas.
  14. (transitive) To experience, undergo, or endure.
    1. (transitive) To undergo; to put oneself into, to be subjected to.
      take sun-baths‎; take a shower‎; she made the decision to take chemotherapy‎
    2. (transitive) To experience or feel.
      she takes pride in her work‎; I take offence at that‎
      to take a dislike‎; to take pleasure in his opponent's death‎
      • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
        Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’ and if you don't look out there's likely to be some nice, lively dog taking an interest in your underpinning.”
    3. (transitive) To submit to; to endure (without ill humor, resentment, or physical failure).
      took a pay cut‎; take a joke‎; the hull took a lot of punishment before it broke‎
      I can take the noise, but I can't take the smell.‎
      That truck bed will only take two tons.‎
    4. (transitive) To participate in.
      She took a vacation to France but spent the whole time feeling miserable that her husband couldn't be there with her.‎
      Aren't you supposed to take your math final today?‎
      I had to take a pee.‎
      • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
        No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or […]. And at last I began to realize in my harassed soul that all elusion was futile, and to take such holidays as I could get, when he was off with a girl, in a spirit of thankfulness.
    5. (transitive) To suffer, to endure (a hardship or damage).
      the ship took a direct hit and was destroyed‎; her career took a hit‎
  15. (transitive) To cause to change to a specified state or condition.
    • 2010, Thomas M. Bloch, Many Happy Returns: The Story of Henry Bloch, page 86:
      In 1961, they lined up a lawyer and an underwriter to take the company public.
  16. (transitive) To regard in a specified way.
    he took the news badly‎
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 22, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      Not unnaturally, “Auntie” took this communication in bad part. Thus outraged, she showed herself to be a bold as well as a furious virago.
  17. (transitive) To conclude or form (a decision or an opinion) in the mind.
    took the decision to close its last remaining outlet‎
    took a dim view of city officials‎
  18. (transitive) To understand (especially in a specified way).
    Don't take my comments as an insult.‎
    if she took my meaning‎
    • 1853, The American Journal of Science and Arts, page 125:
      The author explained the theory of Dove, which, if we took him correctly, was, that the lustre of bodies and particularly the metallic lustre arose from the light coming from the one stratum of the superficial particles of bodies interfering on the eye […]
  19. (transitive) To accept or be given (rightly or wrongly); assume (especially as if by right).
    He took all the credit for the project, although he had done almost none of the work.‎
    She took the blame, in the public's eyes, although the debacle was more her husband's fault than her own.‎
  20. (transitive) To believe, to accept the statements of.
    take her word for it‎; take him at his word‎
  21. (transitive) To asume or suppose; to reckon; to regard or consider.
    take it from her comments she won't be there.‎
    I took him to be a person of honor.‎; He was often taken to be a man of means.‎
    Do you take me for a fool?‎; Do you take me to be stupid?‎
    Looking at him as he came into the room, I took him for his father.‎
    • 1950, Edwin Basil Redlich, The early traditions of Genesis, page 108:
      The dimensions of the ark, if we take a cubit to be equal to 15 feet, […]
  22. (transitive) To draw, derive, or deduce (a meaning from something).
    I'm not sure what moral to take from that story.‎
    • c. 1630-1694,, John Tillotson, Sermon V, The Excellency of the Christian Religion:
      And the firm belief of a future Judgment, which shall render to every man according to his deeds, if it be well consider'd, is to a reasonable nature the most forcible motive of all other to a good life; because it is taken from the consideration of the greatest and most lasting happiness and misery that human nature is capable of.
  23. (transitive) To derive (as a title); to obtain from a source.
    "As I Lay Dying" takes its title from Book XI of Homer's "Odyssey"‎
  24. (transitive) To catch or contract (an illness, etc).
    took a chill‎
  25. (transitive) To come upon or catch (in a particular state or situation).
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 20, in The China Governess:
      The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen. […] The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared.
  26. (transitive) To captivate or charm; to gain or secure the interest or affection of.
    took her fancy‎; took her attention‎
    • Bible, Proverbs vi.25:
      Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
    • William Wake (1657-1737)
      Cleombroutus was so taken with this prospect, that he had no patience.
    • Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
      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.
  27. (transitive, of cloth, paper, etc) To absorb or be impregnated by (dye, ink, etc); to be susceptible to being treated by (polish, etc).
    cloth that takes dye well‎; paper that takes ink‎; the leather that takes a certain kind of polish‎
  28. (transitive, of a ship) To let in (water).
    • 1972, Anne and Robert Sinai, Israel & the Arabs: prelude to the Jewish state, page 107:
      The ship was taking seawater in 4 places, and the passengers had been without fresh water […]
  29. (transitive) To require.
    it takes a while to get used to the smell‎
    Looks like it's gonna take a taller person to get that down.   Finishing this on schedule will take a lot of overtime.‎
    • 1920, China Monthly Review 15, page 357:
      If the summary of the Tientsin society is accurate, a famine population of more than 14,000,000 is already bad enough. If it takes five dollars to keep one of them alive, […]
    • 2009, Living It Out (ISBN 1853119997):
      While it takes courage to come out, the acceptance of parents and other family members can really help the person coming out to accept themselves.
    • 2013 August 31, “Code blue”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8851:
      Time was it took a war to close a financial exchange. Now all it needs is a glitch in technology. On August 26th trading on Eurex, the main German derivatives exchange, opened as usual; 20 minutes later it shut down for about an hour. Four days earlier the shares of every company listed on NASDAQ, an American stock exchange, ceased trading for three hours.
  30. (transitive) To proceed to fill.
    He took a seat in the front row.‎
  31. (transitive) To fill, to use up (time or space).
    hunting that whale takes most of his free time‎; his collection takes a lot of space‎
    The trip will take about ten minutes.‎
  32. (transitive) To avail oneself of.
    he took that opportunity to leave France‎
  33. (transitive) To perform, to do.
    take a walk‎; take action/steps/measures to fight drug abuse‎; take a trip‎; take aim‎; take the tempo slowly‎
    The kick is taken from where the foul occurred.‎; Pirès ran in to take the kick.‎; The throw-in is taken from the point where the ball crossed the touch-line.‎}}
    • 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate, chapter III:
      To such men as Mr. Hellyer, who every night take much strong drink, and on no occasion whatever take any exercise, sixty is the grand climacteric. He was, a year ago, just fifty-nine. Alas! he has not even reached his grand climacteric. Already he is gone. He was cut off by pneumonia, or apoplexy, last Christmas.
  34. (transitive) To assume or perform (a form or role).
    1. (transitive) To assume (a form).
      took the form of a duck‎; took shape‎; a god taking the likeness of a bird‎
    2. (transitive) To perform (a role).
      take the part of the villain/hero‎
    3. (transitive) To assume and undertake the duties of (a job, an office, etc).
      take office‎; take the throne‎
      • 2013 August 10, Schumpeter, “Cronies and capitols”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
        Policing the relationship between government and business in a free society is difficult. Businesspeople have every right to lobby governments, and civil servants to take jobs in the private sector.
  35. (transitive) To bind oneself by.
    he took the oath of office last night‎
  36. (transitive) To move into.
    the witness took the stand‎; the next team took the field‎
  37. (transitive) To go into, through, or along.
    go down two blocks and take the next left‎; take the path of least resistance‎
  38. (transitive) To have or take recourse to.
    take cover/shelter/refuge‎
  39. (transitive) To ascertain or determine by measurement, examination or inquiry.
    take her pulse / temperature / blood pressure‎; take a census‎
  40. (transitive) To write down; to get in, or as if in, writing.
    he took a mental inventory of his supplies‎; she took careful notes‎
  41. (transitive) To make (a photograph, film, or other reproduction of something).
    she took a video of their encounter‎; could you take a picture of us?‎; the police took his fingerprints‎
  42. (transitive, dated) To take a picture, photograph, etc of (a person, scene, etc).
    The photographer will take you sitting down.‎
    to take a group/scene‎
  43. (transitive) To obtain money from, especially by swindling.
    took me for ten grand‎
  44. (transitive, now chiefly by enrolling in a class or course) To apply oneself to the study of.
    as a child, she took ballet‎
    I plan to take math, physics, literature and flower arrangement this semester.‎
  45. (transitive) To deal with.
    take matters as they arise‎
  46. (transitive) To consider in a particular way, or to consider as an example.
    I've had a lot of problems recently: take last Monday, for example. My car broke down on the way to work. Then ... etc.‎
  47. (transitive, baseball) To decline to swing at (a pitched ball); to refrain from hitting at, and allow to pass.
    He'll probably take this one.‎
  48. (transitive, grammar) To have an be used with (a certain grammatical form, etc).
    This verb takes the dative; that verb takes the genitive.‎
  49. (intransitive) To get or accept (something) into one's possession.
    My husband and I have a dysfunctional marriage. He just takes and takes; he never gives.‎
  50. (intransitive) To engage, take hold or have effect.
    1. (intransitive, of ink, dye, etc) To adhere or be absorbed properly.
      the dye didn't take‎
    2. (intransitive, of a plant, etc) To begin to grow after being grafted or planted; to (literally or figuratively) take root, take hold.
      not all grafts take‎
      I started some tomato seeds last spring, but they didn't take.‎
      • 1884, Stephen Bleecker Luce, Text-book of Seamanship, page 179:
        The cradles are supported under their centres by shores, on which the keel takes.
    3. (intransitive, of a mechanical device) To catch; to engage.
      • 2009, Sheldon Russell, The Yard Dog: A Mystery, page 210:
        At the depot, Hook climbed out, slamming the door twice before the latch took.
    4. (intransitive, possibly dated) To win acceptance, favor or favorable reception; to charm people.
      • c. 1672-1719, Joseph Addison:
        Each wit may praise it for his own dear sake, / And hint he writ it, if the thing should take.
    5. (intransitive) To have the intended effect.
      • 1967, Richard Martin Stern, The Kessler Legacy, page 103:
        "When I was young," I said, "I was vaccinated with religion, but the vaccination didn't take."
  51. (intransitive) To become; to be affected in a specified way.
    They took ill within 3 hours.‎; She took sick with the flu.‎
  52. (intransitive, possibly dated) To be able to be accurately or beautifully photographed.
    • 1881, Jessie Fothergill, Kith and Kin, in The Eclectic Magazine, page 529:
      "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."
  53. (intransitive, dialectal, proscribed)[1]An intensifier.
    • 2012, Max Brand, Silvertip's Trap (ISBN 1440549834):
      I took and beat the devil out of him.
  54. (transitive, obsolete) To deliver, give (something) to (someone).
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xj, in Le Morte Darthur, book XIII:
      for thy loue I haue lefte my countrey / And sythe ye shalle departe oute of this world / leue me somme token of yours that I may thynke on you / Ioseph said that wille I doo ful gladly / Now brynge me your sheld that I toke yow whanne ye went in to bataille ageynst kyng Tolleme
    • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew 22.19:
      Jesus perceaved there wylynes, and sayde: Why tempte ye me ye ypocrytes? lett me se the tribute money. And they toke hym a peny.
  55. (transitive, obsolete outside dialects and slang) To give or deliver (a blow, to someone); to strike or hit.
    He took me a blow on the head.‎

Usage notes

In a few informal sociolects, took is sometimes replaced by the proscribed form taked.

Quotations

  • 1611 — King James Version of the Bible, Luke 1:1
    Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us […]
  • Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
    When flame taketh and openeth, it giveth a noise.
  • John Dryden (1631-1700)
    Beauty alone could beauty take so right.
  • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:
    Here was my chance. I took the old man aside, and two or three glasses of Old Crow launched him into reminiscence.
  • 1973, Albert J. Reiss, The Police and the Public, page 44:
    A lot of officers when they knock off a still will take an axe to the barrels.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

See also: Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take, taken, and taking

Translations

Noun

take ‎(plural takes)

  1. The or an act of taking.
    • 1999, Impacts of California sea lions and Pacific harbor seals [...] (published by the United States National Marine Fisheries Service), page 32:
      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. Something that is taken; a haul.
    1. Money that is taken in, (legal or illegal) proceeds, income; (in particular) profits.
      He wants half of the take if he helps with the job.‎
      The mayor is on the take.‎
    2. The or a quantity of fish, game animals or pelts, etc which have been taken at one time; catch.
  3. An interpretation or view, opinion or assessment; perspective.
    What's your take on this issue, Fred?‎
  4. An approach, a (distinct) treatment.
    a new take on a traditional dish‎
  5. (film) A scene recorded (filmed) at one time, without an interruption or break; a recording of such a scene.
    It's a take.‎
    Act seven, scene three, take two.‎
  6. (music) A recording of a musical performance made during an uninterrupted single recording period.
  7. 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
    I did a take when I saw the new car in the driveway.‎
    • 1991, William Shatner, TekLords:
      “When our client mentioned Dr. Chesterton, you did a take that was perceptible to one with my trained eye. Know the gent, amigo?”
    • 2007, Laura McBride, Catch a Falling Starr:
      Biddy did a 'take' and stared at Mandy speechless for a moment—then she fled back to the kitchen
    • 2013, Carsten Stroud, The Homecoming: Book Two of the Niceville Trilogy, page 301:
      He's a stone-cold snake, Nick, but he's our stone—cold snake. Keep tugging on hanging threads and one day your pants will fall off." / Nick did a take, grinning in spite of his miserable mood. “How, exactly, would that work?" / Mavis shrugged, grinned right back at him.
  8. (medicine) An instance of successful inoculation/vaccination.
  9. (rugby, cricket) A catch of the ball (in cricket, especially one by the wicket-keeper).
  10. (printing) The quantity of copy given to a compositor at one time.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: back · under · same · #135: take · last · here · thought

Anagrams

References

  1. ↑ 1970, Harry Shaw, Errors in English and ways to correct them, page 93: In the sentence, "He took and beat the horse unmercifully," took and should be omitted entirely.

Japanese

Romanization

take

  1. rōmaji reading of たけ

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

take ‎(present tense tek, past tense tok, past participle teke, passive infinitive takast, present participle takande, imperative tak)

  1. Alternative form of taka

Pilagá

Verb

take

  1. want
    se-take — I want

References

  • 2001, Alejandra Vidal, quoted in Subordination in Native South-American Languages

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 Proto-Indo-European *deh₁g-, *dh₁g- ‎(“to touch”). Gradually displaced Middle English nimen ("to take"; see nim), from Old English niman ‎(“to take”). Cognate with Icelandic taka ‎(“to take”), Danish tage ‎(“to take, seize”), Middle Dutch taken ‎(“to grasp”), Dutch taken ‎(“to take; to grasp”), Middle Low German tacken ‎(“to grasp”). Compare with tackle.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: tāk, IPA(key): /teɪk/, [tʰeɪ̯k]
  • Rhymes: -eɪk

Similar Results