take out

verb

took out; taken out; taking out; takes out

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: deduct, separate

(2)

: exclude, omit

(3)

: withdraw, withhold

b

: to find release for : vent

… take out their resentments on one another.

—John W. Aldridge

c(1)

: eliminate

(2)

: kill, destroy

(3)

: knock out

2

a

: to obtain from the proper authority

take out a charter

take out a second mortgage

b

: to arrange for (insurance)

3

: to take as an equivalent in another form

took the debt out in trade

4

: to overcall (a bridge partner) in a different suit

intransitive verb

: to start on a course : set out

see also:

take it out on

Synonyms of take out

• unleash
• give way (to)
• release

Examples of take out in a Sentence

he took out his frustrations by splitting a cord of firewood

she'd like to take the new boy out to the movies sometime

Recent Examples on the Web

Additional losses detailed Additional victims, prosecutors say, sent $86,000 in electronic payments or were persuaded to take out loans, buy a Corvette for Evans, and hand over credit cards. —Doug Myers, CBS News, 10 June 2026

The growing tally of US military aircraft losses This represents the first US Army Apache helicopter to go down during the conflict—and apparently the first such helicopter to be taken out by a drone. —Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 10 June 2026

That last one really hurts Rushing's case here, given the literal purpose of his slide was to take out the shortstop. —Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026

Dallas was not wide enough at field level for a regulation soccer pitch, for instance, while Kansas City, Rogers says, took out 10 rows of seats. —Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Rhymes for take out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

takeout

1 of 2 noun

take·​out ˈtā-ˌkau̇t 

1

: the action or an act of taking out

2

: something taken out or made to be taken out

3

: prepared food packaged to be eaten away from its place of sale

take out

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)tā-ˈkau̇t

1

a

: to take away : deduct

b

: remove entry 1 sense 4

2

: to find release for : vent

took out their anger on me

3

: to conduct or escort into the open or to a public entertainment

4

: to take as payment in another form

took the debt out in goods

5

: to obtain from the proper authority

take out a charter

6

: to start on a course : set out