: having the qualities of a forceful leader
a take-charge executive
take charge
2 of 2idiomatic phrase
: to assume control, command, care, or custody
… the people Americans have chosen to take charge in times of crisis …—
Marc Fisher
—often used with ofMarc FisherShe took charge of the company/team/project.
A neighbor took charge of the children until he got home from the emergency room.
Happiness is what occurs when you take charge of your life …—Terina Allen
Terina AllenSamuel Morse wanted the federal government to take charge of building a national telegraph system.—Virginia Postrel
Virginia PostrelI could see that unless I took charge of the situation nothing would get done. So I said, "Mouse, you and Jane … help me. …"—Judy Blume
Judy BlumeExamples of take-charge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
In 7 2/3 take-charge innings at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox lefty allowed just one run and retired 17 straight batters after Anthony Volpe’s second-inning home run.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Mamdani, who at 34 will be the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century, now faces the task of implementing his sweeping affordability agenda, while taking charge of the largest police department, sanitation department and school system in the country.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take-charge
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Adjective
But each are given King-sized personalities, such as a newbie Black family that gets constant stares from neighbors — a by-the-book airman Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo ), his activist, take-charge wife Charlotte (Taylour Paige) and their science-loving son Will (Blake Cameron James).
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
In 7 2/3 take-charge innings at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox lefty allowed just one run and retired 17 straight batters after Anthony Volpe’s second-inning home run.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Idiomatic phrase
The military controlled all aspects of the economy during this period, until the 1990s, when the country gradually started to open up and oligarchs tied to the regime took charge.
—Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Mamdani, who at 34 will be the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century, now faces the task of implementing his sweeping affordability agenda, while taking charge of the largest police department, sanitation department and school system in the country.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take-charge
Cite this Entry
“Take-charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-charge. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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