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

Krispy Kreme offers free superhero doughnut with purchase In addition to announcing the collection, Krispy Kreme also announced a sweet deal customers can take advantage of. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 9 July 2025

Even before the bill was passed, Gassman says his clients were taking advantage of the temporary 2017 provision. —Martina Di Licosa, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025

Some exporters that used to produce goods in China have shifted operations to Vietnam to take advantage of lower tariffs on that country's exports. —Scott Horsley, NPR, 9 July 2025

Samsung didn't have a ton of software features or changes to share outside of better app optimizations to take advantage of the big screen. —Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 9 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take advantage of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove