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

Fewer than half of wealthy Americans (47%) believe the next generation is prepared to take on family philanthropic causes, down from 55% in 2024, according to research from Bank of America released last week. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026

Old-school luxury takes on new meaning since the refurbishing and renovations that took place here in 2016. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

In a picture shared in the post taken on Fall Picture Day, Cagle said Burfield had relaxed smile and a sense of ease. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2026

Beshear has also campaigned and advertised hard for Democratic candidate Zach Dembo, who is taking on GOP candidate Ralph Alvarado in the open 6th District seat around Lexington. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 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