Take aback
- Meaning: Surprise or shock; to discomfit
- Example: The bad news took us aback.
Take after
- Meaning: To have similar character or personality to a family member
- Example: He takes after his mother.
Take against (UK)
- Meaning: Stop liking someone; to become unfriendly toward
- Example: He took against me when I was promoted over him.
Take apart
- Meaning: Separate something into its parts
- Example: I took the radio apart to find out what was wrong.
Take aside
- Meaning: Get someone alone to talk to them
- Example: I was immediately taken aside by the manager.
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE – “Take away” meaning.
Take away
- Meaning: Remove something and put it in a different place
- Example: Mother took our plates away and came back with some fruit for us to eat.
Take away
- Meaning: Remove something, either material or abstract, so that a person no longer has it
- Example: The teacher took my mobile phone away until the end of the lesson.
Take away
- Meaning: Subtract or diminish something
- Example: If I have five apples and you take away two, how many do I have left?
Take away
- Meaning: Leave a memory or impression in one’s mind that you think about later
- Example: I took away the impression that the play was under rehearsed.
Take away
- Meaning: Make someone leave a place and go somewhere else
- Example: The police took him away for questioning.
Take away
- Meaning: Prevent, or limit, someone from being somewhere, or from doing something
- Example: My job takes me away from home most weekends.
Take away from
- Meaning: Make something seem not so good or interesting
- Example: Even the rain couldn’t take away from the excitement of the match.
Take back
- Meaning: Retract an earlier statement
- Example: No, you are not fat; I take it all back.
Take back
- Meaning: Cause to remember some past event or time
- Example: That tune takes me back to my childhood.
Take back
- Meaning: Resume a relationship with someone
- Example: She has forgiven him, and taken him back.
Take back
- Meaning: Regain possession of something
- Example: The wedding is off, and he has taken back the ring.
Take back
- Meaning: Return something to a vendor for a refund
- Example: Take back faulty goods to the shop where you bought them.
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE – “Take down” meaning.
Take down
- Meaning: Remove something from a wall or similar vertical surface to which it is fixed
- Example: He took down the picture and replaced it with the framed photograph.
Take down
- Meaning: Remove something from a hanging position
- Example: We need to take down the curtains to be cleaned.
Take down
- Meaning: Write down as a note, especially to record something spoken
- Example: If you have a pen, you can take down my phone number.
Take down
- Meaning: Remove a temporary structure such as scaffolding
- Example: When everything else is packed, we can take down the tent.
Take down
- Meaning: Lower an item of clothing without removing it
- Example: The doctor asked me to take down my trousers.
Take for
- Meaning: Regard as
- Example: Does he take me for a fool?
Take for
- Meaning: Consider mistakenly
- Example: Sorry, I took you for someone else.
Take for
- Meaning: Defraud; to rip off
- Example: Pinkett angry that George betrayed trust, took him for $100K.
Take in
- Meaning: Receive (goods) into one’s home for the purpose of processing for a fee
- Example: In hard times, some women would take in washing and others dressmaking repairs.
Take in
- Meaning: Shorten (a garment) or make it smaller
- Example: Try taking the skirt in a little around the waist.
Take in
- Meaning: Absorb or comprehend
- Example: I was so sleepy that I hardly took in any of the lecture.
Take in
- Meaning: Deceive, give a false impression
- Example: Everyone was taken in by his practical joke.
Take it away
- Meaning: Begin, especially used to launch a performance of some sort (usually imperative and/or exclamatory) I’d like to introduce Mumbo the
- Example: Magnificent and his dancing parrot, Tiddles. Take it away, Mumbo!
Take it out in
- Meaning: Accept as payment
- Example: I convinced him to take it out in barter instead of cash.
Take it out on
- Meaning: Unleash one’s anger on [a person or thing other than the one that caused it]
- Example: Don’t take it out on your husband if you had trouble with your boss at work.
Take it upon oneself
- Meaning: Assume personal responsibility for a task or action
- Example: She took it upon herself to manage the project.
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE – “Take off” meaning.
Take off
- Meaning: To remove something, usually clothing or accessories
- Example: It was hot so I took my jacket off.
Take off
- Meaning: Imitate, often in a satirical manner
- Example: They love to take off all the politicians’ mannerisms.
Take off
- Meaning: Leave the ground and begin flight; to ascend into the air
- Example: The plane has been cleared to take off from runway 3.
Take off
- Meaning: Become successful, to flourish
- Example: The business has really taken off this year and has made quite a profit.
Take off
- Meaning: Depart
- Example: I’m going to take off now.
Take off
- Meaning: Quantify
- Example: I’ll take off the concrete and steel for this construction project.
Take off
- Meaning: Absent oneself from work or other responsibility, especially with permission
- Example: If you take off for Thanksgiving you must work Christmas and vice versa.
Take on
- Meaning: Acquire, bring in, or introduce
- Example: The ship took on cargo in Norfolk yesterday.
Take on
- Meaning: Begin to have or exhibit
- Example: In the dark, the teddy bear took on the appearance of a fearsome monster.
Take on
- Meaning: Assume responsibility for
- Example: I’ll take on the project if no one else will.
Take on
- Meaning: Attempt to fight or compete with
- Example: I don’t recommend taking on that bully, since he’s bigger than you are.
Take out
- Meaning: Remove
- Example: Please take out the trash before the whole house starts to smell.
Take out
- Meaning: Invite someone out socially, especially on a date
- Example: Let me take you out for dinner.
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE – “Take over” meaning.
Take over
- Meaning: Adopt a responsibility or duty from someone else
- Example: He will take over the job permanently when the accountant retires.
Take over
- Meaning: Relieve someone temporarily
- Example: If you will take over driving, I’d like to get some sleep.
Take over
- Meaning: Buy out the ownership of a business
- Example: Acme Motors is to take Jetcar Industries over this week, if all goes as planned.
Take over
- Meaning: Annex a territory by conquest or invasion
- Example: Ancient Rome took over lands throughout the known world.
Take over
- Meaning: Become more successful (than someone or something else)
- Example: Tiger Woods has taken over as the top golfer.
Take pity
- Meaning: Show compassion (towards)
- Example: Someone please take pity on that homeless man in the rain and give him a place to stay overnight.
Take to
- Meaning: Adapt to; to learn, grasp or master
- Example: She took to swimming like a fish.
Take to
- Meaning: Enter; to go into or move towards
- Example: As the train rushed through, thousands of birds took to the air at once.
Take to
- Meaning: Begin, as a new habit or practice
- Example: After the third one was rejected, she took to asking the department to check the form before she submitted it.
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE – “Take up” meaning.
Take up
- Meaning: Pick up
- Example: The reel automatically took up the slack.
Take up
- Meaning: Begin doing (an activity) on a regular basis
- Example: I’ve taken up knitting.
Take up
- Meaning: Address (an issue)
- Example: Let’s take this up with the manager.
Take up
- Meaning: Occupy; to consume (space or time)
- Example: The books on finance take up three shelves.
Take up
- Meaning: Shorten by hemming
- Example: If we take up the sleeves a bit, that shirt will look much better on you.
Take up
- Meaning: Accept (a proposal, offer, request, etc.) from
- Example: Shall we take them up on their offer to help us move?
Take up
- Meaning: Resume
- Example: Let’s take up where we left off.
Take up with
- Meaning: Form a close relationship with (someone)
- Example: I hear that John has taken up with Jane.
Take upon oneself
- Meaning: Assume personal responsibility for
- Example: That’s an awful lot of work to take upon yourself.
Take through
- Meaning: Explain something; give a tour of a place
- Example: Stop by, and I’ll take you through the new headquarters.
