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

As operations evolve from traditional AIOps toward agentic systems, AI takes on a broader responsibility. — Kannan Kothandaraman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Topped with macadamia nuts and basil and swimming in stracciatella goodness, this dish is a fun, Florida take on the traditional Italian starter. — Connie Ogle july 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Despite the abundance of berries, the fragrance never veers into the medicinal territory that cherry can sometimes take on. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 31 July 2026

Its mission takes on a special significance during July, which is Disability Pride Month. — Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 31 July 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