Learn English Phrasal Verbs:Take
Take is one of the busiest roots: planes take off, people take on work, and companies take over other companies.
take after
resemble
She takes after her mother in looks and habits.
She resembles her mother in looks and habits.
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take apart
disassemble
He took apart the printer to find the jam.
He disassembled the printer to find the jam.
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take away
clear
Please take away the dirty dishes.
Please clear the dirty dishes.
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take back
return
I’ll take back the books tomorrow.
I’ll return the books tomorrow.
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take back
retract
He took back the comment after he heard how it sounded.
He retracted the comment after he heard how it sounded.
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take down
dismantle
They took down the scaffolding last week.
They dismantled the scaffolding last week.
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take down
write down
She took down the address from the board.
She wrote down the address from the board.
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take for
mistake for
He took her for someone else at the door.
He mistook her for someone else at the door.
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take in
give shelter to
They took in the stray cat during the storm.
They gave shelter to the stray cat during the storm.
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take in
absorb
It was hard to take in all the details in one sitting.
It was hard to absorb all the details in one sitting.
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take off
leave the ground
The plane took off at 7:10.
The plane left the ground at 7:10.
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take off
remove
She took off her jacket when the room got warm.
She removed her jacket when the room got warm.
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take on
hire
The shop is taking on extra staff for December.
The shop is hiring extra staff for December.
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take on
accept
He took on the extra shift this weekend.
He accepted the extra shift this weekend.
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take out
invite for a meal
He took her out for dinner on Friday.
He invited her for a meal on Friday.
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take out
extract
The dentist took out the damaged tooth.
The dentist extracted the damaged tooth.
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take over
assume control
A larger firm plans to take over the local shop.
A larger firm plans to assume control of the local shop.
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take to
start to like
She quickly took to the new software.
She quickly started to like the new software.
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take up
start a hobby
I’ve decided to take up swimming on Tuesdays.
I’ve decided to start swimming as a hobby on Tuesdays.
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take up
occupy
The sofa takes up most of the living room.
The sofa occupies most of the living room.
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About this set
This page gathers the family so you can see how the particle changes the meaning.
Several verbs appear twice on purpose — take off, take on, take up — because English uses the same form for more than one idea.
Usage notes
- take off. Intransitive for a plane. Separable for clothes: take your coat off. A third meaning is become successful.
- take on. Can mean accept work or staff, or fight / compete with. Separable for the work meaning: take the project on.
- take up. Separable. Take up yoga means start it. Take up an offer means accept it, as in the Work set.
- take after. Inseparable. Take after a parent means resemble them. There is no take a parent after.
Common questions
How many meanings of take off should I learn first?
Start with two: a plane leaves the ground, and you remove clothes. The “become successful” meaning can wait until those two feel automatic.
Is take over the same as take on?
Take over means assume control of a company, job, or task from someone else. Take on means accept extra work or hire someone. A firm can take on staff and later take over a rival.