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 of take on

• meet
• face
• encounter

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

In the flickering flame of firelight, the stutters take on a zoetrope effect, creating the illusion of rhinos in motion. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Is John finally taking on the mantle of Green Lantern, albeit for a very different cause? — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

This started at Unilever, where Dominici rose through the ranks to take on the role of vice president of the food business unit in Italy. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026

The novel, published in 1988, foreshadowed the career to come by taking on, with disarming frankness, everything from child abuse to transracial adoption. — Casey Cep, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for take on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon

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