take on

verb

took on; taken on; taking on; takes on

transitive verb

1

a

: to begin to perform or deal with : undertake

took on new responsibilities

b

: to contend with as an opponent

took on the neighborhood bully

2

: engage, hire

3

a

: to assume or acquire as or as if one's own

the city's plaza takes on a carnival air

—W. T. LeViness

b

: to have as a mathematical domain or range

what values does the function take on

intransitive verb

: to show one's feelings especially of grief or anger in a demonstrative way

she cried, and took on like a distracted body

—Daniel Defoe

Synonyms

• battle
• encounter
• engage
• face
• meet

Examples of take on in a Sentence

will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

decided to take her on as store manager

Recent Examples on the Web

Kelly Clarkson took on another iconic hit on Friday’s episode of her talk show. —Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024

The Italianate take on the Croatian hypercar claims similarly outrageous numbers—1,900 hp hailing from four electric motors. —Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 12 Apr. 2024

The kind that found its zenith in Todd Phillips’ 2019 take on Batman’s clownish foe. —Manuel Betancourt, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

In an email disclosed in discovery, Murdoch sent a longtime lieutenant, Col Allan, who edited the Post, his take on Rudy Giuliani. —Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

The loser of this matchup is eliminated from playoff contention, while the winner of this matchup goes on the road to take on the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in game on Friday, April 19 for the right to the eighth playoff seed. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024

So obviously his death then was taken on by conspiracists to suggest that something nefarious was happening. —Leah Feiger, WIRED, 11 Apr. 2024

Snyder took on the top job at the West Coast chain in 2010, at age 27, leading the business founded by her grandparents in 1948. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024

Sunday, March 31 Sunday Night Baseball (ESPN): If the upcoming storm doesn't cause a rain delay or a game postponement in Los Angeles, Sunday Night Baseball is back when the (my) St. Louis Cardinals take on the L.A. Dodgers. —Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

take on

verb

1

: to struggle with as an opponent

2

: employ entry 1 sense 2

took on more workers

3

: to acquire (as an appearance or quality) as one's own

take on weight

4

: to make an unusual show of one's feelings especially of grief or anger

don't take on so