took
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to took: took away
took
(to͝ok)v.
Past tense of take.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
took
(tʊk)vb
the past tense of take1
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
take
(teɪk)v. took, tak•en, tak•ing,
n. v.t.
1. to get into one's hands or possession by voluntary action: Take the book, please.
2. to hold, grasp, or grip: to take a child by the hand.
3. to get into one's possession or control by force or artifice: took the bone from the snarling dog.
4. to seize or capture: to take a prisoner.
5. to catch or get (fish, game, etc.), esp. by killing.
6. to pick from a number; select.
7. to receive and accept willingly (something given or offered): to take a bribe.
8. to receive or be the recipient of: to take first prize.
9. to accept and act upon or comply with: Take my advice.
10. to receive or accept (a person) into some relation: to take someone in marriage.
11. to receive or react to in a specified manner: She took his death hard.
12. to receive as a payment or charge.
13. to get or obtain from a source; derive: The book takes its title from Dante.
14. to extract or quote.
15. to obtain or exact as compensation for a wrong: to take revenge.
16. to receive into the body, as by swallowing or inhaling: to take a pill; to take a deep breath.
17. to have for one's benefit or use: to take a nap; to take a bath.
18. to use as a flavoring agent: to take sugar in one's coffee.
19. to be subjected to; undergo: to take a rest cure.
20. to endure or submit to with equanimity or without weakening: unable to take punishment.
21. to enter into the enjoyment of: Let's take a vacation.
22. to carry off without permission; steal: to take someone's wallet.
23. to remove: to take a coat from the closet.
24. to remove by death: The flood took many victims.
25. to subtract or deduct: to take 2 from 5.
26. to carry with one: Are you taking an umbrella?
27. to convey or transport: We took them for a drive.
28. to serve as a means of conducting: These stairs take you to the attic.
29. to bring about a change in the condition of: Her talent took her to the top.
30. to escort or accompany.
31. to attempt or succeed in getting over, through, or around; clear; negotiate: The horse took the fence easily.
32. to come upon suddenly; catch: to take a thief by surprise.
33. to attack or affect with or as if with a disease: taken with a fit of laughter.
34. to be capable of attaining as a result of some action or treatment: This leather takes a high polish.
35. to absorb or become impregnated with; be susceptible to: The cloth will not take a dye.
36. to require: It takes courage to do that.
37. to employ for some purpose: to take measures to curb drugs.
38. to use as a means of transportation: to take the bus to work.
39. to proceed to occupy: Take a seat.
40. to fill (time, space, etc.); occupy: His hobby takes most of his spare time.
41. to use up; consume: It took ten minutes to solve the problem.
42. to avail oneself of: I took the opportunity to leave.
43. to do, perform, execute, etc.: to take a walk.
44. to go into or enter: Take the road to the left.
45. to adopt and enter upon (a way, course, etc.): to take the path of least resistance.
46. to act or perform: to take the part of the hero.
47. to make (a reproduction, picture, or photograph): to take home movies.
48. to make a picture, esp. a photograph, of: The photographer took us sitting down.
49. to write down: to take notes.
50. to apply oneself to; study: to take a history course.
51. to deal with; treat: to take a matter under consideration.
52. to assume or undertake (a function, duty, etc.): The mayor took office last month.
53. to assume or adopt (a symbol, badge, etc.) as a token of office: to take the veil.
54. to assume the obligation of; be bound by: to take an oath.
55. to assume or adopt as one's own: to take someone's side in an argument.
56. to accept the burden of: to take the blame.
57. to determine by inquiry, examination, measurement, etc.: to take someone's pulse; to take a census.
58. to have or experience (a feeling or state of mind): to take pride in one's appearance.
59. to form and hold in the mind: to take a gloomy view.
60. to grasp or apprehend mentally; understand: Do you take my meaning?
61. to understand in a specified way: Don't take the remark as an insult.
62. to accept the statements of: She took him at his word.
63. to assume as a fact: I take it that you won't be there.
64. to regard or consider: They were taken to be wealthy.
65. to consider as an example: Take the French Revolution.
66. to capture or win (a piece, trick, etc.) in a game.
67. Informal. to cheat, swindle, or victimize: The museum got taken on that painting.
68. to win or obtain money from: He took me for $10 in the poker game.
69. to have sexual intercourse with.
70. to be used with (a certain grammatical form, accent, case, etc.): a verb that takes an object.
71. Law. to acquire (property), as on the happening of a particular event.
72. (of a baseball batter) to allow (a pitch) to go by without swinging at it.
v.i. 73. to catch or engage, as a mechanical device.
74. to strike root or begin to grow, as a plant.
75. to adhere, as ink, dye, or color.
76. to win favor or acceptance.
77. to have the intended result or effect: The vaccination took.
78. to enter into possession, as of an estate.
79. to detract (usu. fol. by from).
80. to make one's way; proceed; go: to take across the meadow.
81. to fall or become: to take sick.
82. to admit of being photographed in a particular manner.
83. take after,
a. to resemble (another person, as a parent).
b. to follow or chase.
84. take apart,
a. to disassemble: to take a clock apart.
b. to criticize severely; attack.
c. to examine or analyze closely; dissect.
85. take back,
a. to regain possession of.
b. to return, as for exchange.
c. to allow to return; resume a relationship with.
d. to cause to remember: It takes me back to the old days.
e. to retract: to take back a statement.
86. take down,
a. to write down; record.
b. to reduce the pride or arrogance of; humble: to take someone down a peg.
87. take in,
a. to alter (a garment) so as to make smaller or tighter.
b. to provide lodging for.
c. to include; encompass.
d. to grasp the meaning of; comprehend.
e. to deceive; trick; cheat.
f. to observe; notice.
g. to visit or attend: to take in a show.
h. to furl (a sail).
i. to receive as proceeds, as from business activity.
88. take off,
a. to remove: Take off your coat.
b. to lead away.
c. to leave the ground, as an airplane.
d. to depart; leave.
e. to move onward or forward with a burst of speed.
f. to withdraw or remove from: She was taken off the night shift.
g. to subtract, as a discount; deduct: The store took off 20 percent.
h. to imitate; mimic; burlesque.
i. to achieve sudden, marked growth, success, etc.: Sales took off just before Christmas.
89. take on,
a. to hire; employ.
b. to undertake; assume.
c. to acquire.
d. to accept as a challenge or opponent.
e. Informal. to show great emotion; become excited.
90. take out,
a. to withdraw; remove.
b. to deduct.
c. to procure by application: to take out insurance.
d. to carry out for use or consumption elsewhere.
e. to escort, as on a date.
f. to set out; start.
g. Slang. to kill or destroy.
91. take over, to assume management or possession of or responsibility for.
92. take up,
a. to occupy oneself with the study or practice of.
b. to lift or pick up.
c. to fill, occupy, or consume (space, time, etc.).
d. to begin to advocate or support; sponsor.
e. to continue; resume.
f. to raise for discussion or consideration.
g. to undertake; assume.
h. to absorb (a liquid).
i. to make shorter, as by hemming.
j. to make tighter, as by winding in.
k. to deal with.
l. to adopt seriously: to take up an idea.
m. to accept, as an offer or challenge.
93. take up with, to become friendly with; keep company with.
n. 94. the act of taking.
95. something that is taken.
96. the quantity of fish, game, etc., taken at one time.
97. Informal. money taken in, esp. profits.
98.
a. a scene in a movie or television program photographed without interruption.
b. an instance of such continuous operation of a film camera.
99. Informal. a visual and mental response: She did a slow take.
100. a recording of a musical performance.
101. a successful inoculation.
102.
Idioms: a. an opinion or assessment: What's your take on the candidate?
b. an approach; treatment: a new take on an old idea.
1. on the take, Slang.
a. accepting bribes.
b. in search of personal profit at the expense of others.
2. take five, ten, etc., Informal. to rest briefly, esp. for the approximate time specified.
3. take for,
a. to assume to be: I took it for a fact.
b. to assume falsely to be; mistake for: to be taken for a foreigner.
4. take it,
a. to believe, assume, or accept something: Take it from me.
b. to be able to resist or endure hardship, abuse, etc.
5. take it out on, to cause (another) to suffer for one's own misfortune, frustration, anger, etc.
6. take place, to happen; occur.
7. take to,
a. to devote or apply oneself to: to take to drink.
b. to respond favorably to: They took to each other at once.
c. to go to: to take to one's bed.
d. to have recourse to; resort to.
8. take upon oneself, to assume as a responsibility or obligation.
[before 1100; Middle English; late Old English tacan to grasp, touch < Old Norse taka, c. Middle Dutch taken to grasp]
tak′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Translations
took
pret de takeEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.