take hold

idiomatic phrase

1

: to grasp, grip, or seize something

took hold and hung on tight

—often used with of

take hold of the railing

… she took hold of his arm with both her hands, and looked up eagerly—oh, with such terrible eagerness!—into his face.

—Anthony Trollope

—often used figuratively

As word of the subpoenas spread … confusion and hysteria took hold of the social set …

—Bob Colacello

I did not want Merlin to retire from the job until I was ready to take hold of it effectively myself …

—Mark Twain

2

: to become effective, established, or popular

The change in the law has not yet taken hold.

… a swath of land that has been spared from lava flows long enough that rich vegetation has had a chance to take hold.

—G. Brad Lewis

… here in central California the French aesthetic has recently taken hold.

—Rebecca Coffey

Examples of take hold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Farmers said the burgeoning industry was taking hold, signaling a strong year of farming that would bring with it a number of local jobs. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 17 Dec. 2025

In many Western capitals, a belief has taken hold that China’s enormous excess production is the result of a deliberate strategy to dump cheap goods in their markets and destroy their industrial bases. —Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025

The move is the latest example of how digital assets have taken hold alongside traditional industry. —Max Rego, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2025

Wilder is originally from Chicago, and remembers seeing gentrification take hold of her neighborhood near Chinatown. —Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take hold

• copyhold
• decontrolled
• hundredfold
• manifold
• marigold
• oversold
• petioled
• sevenfold
• stranglehold
• subthreshold
• thousandfold
• uncontrolled