take down

verb

took down; taken down; taking down; takes down

transitive verb

1

: to lower without removing

took down his pants

2

a

: to pull to pieces

take down a building

b

: disassemble

take a rifle down

3

: to lower the spirit or vanity of

4

a

: to write down

took down some notes

b

: to record by mechanical means

intransitive verb

: to become seized or attacked especially by illness

Synonyms of take down

• humiliate
• discredit
• humble

Examples of take down in a Sentence

there's no need to take us down by making fun of our clothes

electricians will take down all the lights for the set after the play has finished its run

Recent Examples on the Web

Among the most controversial aspects of the foundation’s plans — and part of what inspired a lawsuit — were taking down old-growth trees on the site in Jackson Park. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026

This is a hard show to take down. —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026

But the ranking of England players left a sour taste, and Capello had to demand that they were taken down. —Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Most, but not all, of the packages had been taken down in the hours following the incident. —Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Rhymes for take down

• chinatown
• tumbledown
• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown

Kids Definition

takedown

1 of 2 noun

take·​down

ˈtāk-ˌdau̇n

: the action or an act of taking down

takedown

ˌtāk-ˌdau̇n

adjective

take down

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)tāk-ˈdau̇n

1

a

: to pull to pieces

b

: disassemble

2

: to lower the spirit or pride of : humble

3

: to write down or record by mechanical means