Take Definition
take
noun
- the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property; "the average return was about 5%"
- the act of photographing a scene or part of a scene without interruption
verb
- carry out; "take action"; "take steps"; "take vengeance"
- require (time or space); "It took three hours to get to work this morning"; "This event occupied a very short time"
- take somebody somewhere; "We lead him to our chief"; "can you take me to the main entrance?"; "He conducted us to the palace"
- get into one's hands, take physically; "Take a cookie!"; "Can you take this bag, please"
- take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect; "His voice took on a sad tone"; "The story took a new turn"; "he adopted an air of superiority"; "She assumed strange manners"; "The gods assume human or animal form in these fables"
- interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression; "I read this address as a satire"; "How should I take this message?"; "You can't take credit for this!"
- take something or somebody with oneself somewhere; "Bring me the box from the other room"; "Take these letters to the boss"; "This brings me to the main point"
- take into one's possession; "We are taking an orphan from Romania"; "I'll take three salmon steaks"
- travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route; "He takes the bus to work"; "She takes Route 1 to Newark"
- pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her"
- receive willingly something given or offered; "The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter"; "I won't have this dog in my house!"; "Please accept my present"
- assume, as of positions or roles; "She took the job as director of development"; "he occupies the position of manager"; "the young prince will soon occupy the throne"
- take into consideration for exemplifying purposes; "Take the case of China"; "Consider the following case"
- require as useful, just, or proper; "It takes nerve to do what she did"; "success usually requires hard work"; "This job asks a lot of patience and skill"; "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice"; "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"; "This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent"
- experience or feel or submit to; "Take a test"; "Take the plunge"
- make a film or photograph of something; "take a scene"; "shoot a movie"
- remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract; "remove a threat"; "remove a wrapper"; "Remove the dirty dishes from the table"; "take the gun from your pocket"; "This machine withdraws heat from the environment"
- serve oneself to, or consume regularly; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee"
- accept or undergo, often unwillingly; "We took a pay cut"
- make use of or accept for some purpose; "take a risk"; "take an opportunity"
- take by force; "Hitler took the Baltic Republics"; "The army took the fort on the hill"
- occupy or take on; "He assumes the lotus position"; "She took her seat on the stage"; "We took our seats in the orchestra"; "She took up her position behind the tree"; "strike a pose"
- admit into a group or community; "accept students for graduate study"; "We'll have to vote on whether or not to admit a new member"
- ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial; "take a pulse"; "A reading was taken of the earth's tremors"
- be a student of a certain subject; "She is reading for the bar exam"
- take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs; "the accident claimed three lives"; "The hard work took its toll on her"
- head into a specified direction; "The escaped convict took to the hills"; "We made for the mountains"
- point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards; "Please don't aim at your little brother!"; "He trained his gun on the burglar"; "Don't train your camera on the women"; "Take a swipe at one's opponent"
- be seized or affected in a specified way; "take sick"; "be taken drunk"
- have with oneself; have on one's person; "She always takes an umbrella"; "I always carry money"; "She packs a gun when she goes into the mountains"
- engage for service under a term of contract; "We took an apartment on a quiet street"; "Let's rent a car"; "Shall we take a guide in Rome?"
- receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day"
- buy, select; "I'll take a pound of that sausage"
- to get into a position of having, e.g., safety, comfort; "take shelter from the storm"
- have sex with; archaic use; "He had taken this woman when she was most vulnerable"
- lay claim to; as of an idea; "She took credit for the whole idea"
- be designed to hold or take; "This surface will not take the dye"
- be capable of holding or containing; "This box won't take all the items"; "The flask holds one gallon"
- develop a habit; "He took to visiting bars"
- proceed along in a vehicle; "We drive the turnpike to work"
- obtain by winning; "Winner takes all"; "He took first prize"
- be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness; "He got AIDS"; "She came down with pneumonia"; "She took a chill"
"Take" in song lyrics
See how take is used in real songs:
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"The artifacts on the road to become a man are hard to take"
3 Melancholy Gypsies — And If -
"Color inside the lines were all the rules I had to take"
3 Melancholy Gypsies — Young Man -
"I pray to Lord my soul he take"
60 Second Assassin f/ Hell Razah, Kristina Green, Shabazz the Disciple, Son One — Cloud 9
Words that rhyme with take
Usage tips for "take"
Understanding the precise definition of a word helps you use it with confidence. When using "take" in your writing, consider whether you need the word itself or one of its synonyms — subtle differences in meaning can change the tone of a sentence. If you're writing poetry or song lyrics, check the rhymes for take to find words that pair well.