take for

verb

took for; taken for; taking for; takes for

transitive verb

: to suppose (someone) to be (a particular kind of person) : to perceive (someone) as (something)

What do you take me for?

"I think I do understand. I'm not such a dull fellow as you take me for."

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

… a usually commonsensical fellow who was anything but the … clod some people took him for.

—Robert Sherrill

Please do not take me for a wimp—one of those pallid, selfless creatures who shuns disagreements entirely.

—Maggie Scarf

Examples of take for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The series, which Gen Z has recently taken for a first spin as obsessed over on social media, follows the quartet’s rise and fall as a friend group through myriad breakups and breakdowns. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026

But the future—any individual’s future or any collective future—is not to be taken for granted. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026

In May 2005, scientists identified sperm collected from Houck's body during an autopsy and a portion of the material was taken for DNA analysis. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat said on X that nine inmates and one family member were killed in the incident, while 16 prisoners were taken for medical treatment after being injured. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take for

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore