take on
verb
took on; taken on; taking on; takes on
1
a
: to begin to perform or deal with : undertake
took on new responsibilities
b
: to contend with as an opponent
took on the neighborhood bully
3
a
: to assume or acquire as or as if one's own
the city's plaza takes on a carnival air—
W. T. LeViness
W. T. LeViness
b
: to have as a mathematical domain or range
what values does the function take on
: to show one's feelings especially of grief or anger in a demonstrative way
she cried, and took on like a distracted body—Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Examples of take on in a Sentence
will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate
decided to take her on as store manager
Recent Examples on the Web
Barrett cast a key vote to strike down Roe vs. Wade, but took on the Idaho attorney Wednesday for refusing to say whether doctors could perform abortions in certain emergencies.
—David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
After retiring from professional football in 2020, Bennett decided to take on another challenge—the design world.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 24 Apr. 2024
There were some not-so-traditional takes on the ball gown, too.
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Taylor Wilson: So what is the Supreme Court taking on here specifically and what led up to this landing on the Justice's doorstep?
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
But on Monday, Pecker's old role took on a new light: as the first witness to testify in a criminal trial against a former U.S. president.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
In turn, he’s taken on far more than initially anticipated.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Amid the acrimony, and with scores of green, blue and yellow tents filling the Columbia encampment, parts of the campus sometimes took on an eerie, surreal quiet on a splendid spring day.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The New York exhibit also includes video testimonies from survivors, volunteers and family members, as well as raw footage taken on Oct. 7 from both festival attendees and Hamas militants.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
After retiring from professional football in 2020, Bennett decided to take on another challenge—the design world.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 24 Apr. 2024
There were some not-so-traditional takes on the ball gown, too.
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Taylor Wilson: So what is the Supreme Court taking on here specifically and what led up to this landing on the Justice's doorstep?
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
But on Monday, Pecker's old role took on a new light: as the first witness to testify in a criminal trial against a former U.S. president.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
In turn, he’s taken on far more than initially anticipated.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
Amid the acrimony, and with scores of green, blue and yellow tents filling the Columbia encampment, parts of the campus sometimes took on an eerie, surreal quiet on a splendid spring day.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
The New York exhibit also includes video testimonies from survivors, volunteers and family members, as well as raw footage taken on Oct. 7 from both festival attendees and Hamas militants.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 22 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near take on
Cite this Entry
“Take on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20on. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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