take up

1 to move from a lower to a higher place or position <please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it> Synonyms boost, crane, elevate, heave, heft, heighten, hike, hoist, jack (up), lift, perk (up), pick up, raise, up, uphold, uplift, upraiseRelated Words ascend, mount, rise; rear, upendNear Antonyms descend, dip, fall, pitch, plunge, slip; bear, depress, press, push; sink, submergeAntonyms drop, lower

2 to take in (something liquid) through small openings <the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly> Synonyms drink, imbibe, soak (up), sponge, suck (up), absorbRelated Words gulp, guzzle, quaff, sip, slurp, swallow, swig, swill

3 to take for one's own use (something originated by another) <one cluster of fans started chanting the team name of the champions, and the crowd quickly took up the cry> Synonyms borrow, embrace, espouse, take on, adoptRelated Words domesticate, naturalize; appropriate, arrogate, take over, usurp; absorb, assimilate, incorporate, quote; cherish, prize, treasure; cultivate, follow, heed, honor; use, utilize; bring up, foster, nurture, raise, rear; affect, assume, copy, imitate, pretend, put on, simulateNear Antonyms abandon, forsake, give up, relinquish, surrender; abjure, abnegate, disown; reject, renounce, repudiate, spurn; discard, jettison, junk, throw away, throw out