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 Countries that are members of the bank have been divided over how much responsibility the I.F.C. should take for the abuse at the school and whether directly compensating the victims would create a precedent that could complicate other World Bank projects. Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Priest have always been masters of in-between moments in songs that other bands seem to take for granted — bridges, prechoruses, and, of course, solos — but Priest seem to make these sections of songs step outside of themselves. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 These mugshots were taken for arrests made throughout the U.S. the week of March 3-9, 2024. Fox News, 8 Mar. 2024 Merck’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues Biden’s plan violates part of the Fifth Amendment — which requires the government to pay just compensation for private property taken for public use. Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 Under the supervision of busloads of riot police, Navalny’s body was whisked into a church for a brief ceremony before being taken for burial. Francesca ebel, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 Shots were reported outside a residence and the police officers were taken for medical treatment, the Independence Police Department said. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 29 Feb. 2024 The 60-hertz standard (or 50 hertz in most of the rest of the world) is taken for granted today, but in the early days of electrification—before the invention of the master station clock—the standard was seldom standard. IEEE Spectrum, 29 Feb. 2024 Complicating her prognosis was an immune-suppressing medication Sherri had been taking for rheumatoid arthritis. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take for was in 1535

Cite this Entry

“Take for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20for. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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