take on a life of its own

idiom

: to become very large, important, or hard to control
The story took on a life of its own and began to appear on news broadcasts everywhere.

Examples of take on a life of its own in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Hamm's phenomenon began to take on a life of its own, Ramirez said. Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2021 Once a child-abuse pediatrician diagnoses abuse, that assessment can take on a life of its own in family court. Stephanie Clifford, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2020 Be careful -- digging a deep rabbit hole has the potential to take on a life of its own! Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2023 The biosphere tells us that once life appears in a world, that world can take on a life of its own. Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2022 The bills demonstrate how disinformation can take on a life of its own, forming a feedback loop that shapes policy for years to come. Maggie Astor, New York Times, 13 May 2021 But in the weeks that followed, the DAN jailbreak began to take on a life of its own. Will Oremus, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2023 But his spectacular inheritance seemed to take on a life of its own and turn against him. Alex Traub, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Feb. 2023 In this delightfully bonkers sci-fi horror thriller, a robotics engineer (Allison Williams) at a toy company builds a lifelike doll (played by Amie Donald and voiced by Jenna Davis) that begins to take on a life of its own. Dallas News, 5 Jan. 2023

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

Dictionary Entries Near take on a life of its own

Cite this Entry

“Take on a life of its own.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20on%20a%20life%20of%20its%20own. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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