take advantage of

idiomatic phrase

1

: to make good use of (something) : to profit by (something)

take advantage of an opportunity

We took advantage of the warm weather and did some yard work.

2

a

: to impose on (someone) : to ask for or expect more than is fair or reasonable from (someone)

After a while, I began to think she was taking advantage of me.

He felt like he'd been taken advantage of.

b

: to use (something or someone) unfairly for personal gain

He took advantage of [=exploited] my lack of experience.

It adds that young people in care homes, with learning disabilities, those excluded from school or using drugs or alcohol are particularly vulnerable to being targeted by people who take advantage of them for money, food or drugs.

—Stephen Naysmith

c

: to exploit (someone) sexually

The star shared her experiences of Hollywood bosses who tried to take advantage of her in the early days of her career.

—The Belfast Telegraph Online

Examples of take advantage of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The couple, who also share daughter Sterling Skye, 3, has been taking advantage of the Super Bowl-winning quarterback's time off lately, squeezing in multiple date nights. —Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024

The collection-sharing scheme takes advantage of the public’s familiar but false assumption, which goes back to that storage issue. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

Uniqlo is now taking advantage of those changing consumer behaviors to become the latest hot clothing brand for young shoppers. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 Apr. 2024

Seniors in other states can take advantage of an up to $10 per month discount through AARP on the cell phone provider's Unlimited Premium plan. —James Powel, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024

Some social service providers say local ordinances like a camping ban would provide incentive to homeless people to take advantage of existing resources. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2024

The studio wanted to rerelease the old picture to take advantage of Tracy’s burgeoning stardom, and therefore sought to bring it into line with the moral strictures of the Hays Code, a doctrine of self-censorship that Hollywood had adopted to ward off the threat of actual censorship. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024

Orkin discovered a way to take advantage of a natural source of healthy globin—a genetic sequence that is turned on during fetal development but is silenced in adults. —TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

The creators take advantage of more than 25 years of lore and the beautifully odd tone of the video games. —Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1