take up

verb

took up; taken up; taking up; takes up

transitive verb

1

: pick up, lift

took up the carpet

2

a

: to begin to occupy (land)

b

: to gather from a number of sources

took up a collection

3

a

: to accept or adopt for the purpose of assisting

b

: to accept or adopt as one's own

took up the life of a farmer

c

: to absorb or incorporate into itself

plants taking up nutrients

4

a

: to enter upon (something, such as a business, hobby, or subject of study)

take up skiing

took up the trumpet

b

: to proceed to consider or deal with

take up one problem at a time

5

: to establish oneself in

took up residence in town

6

: to occupy entirely or exclusively : fill up

the meeting was taken up with old business

7

: to make tighter or shorter

take up the slack

8

: to respond favorably to (a person offering a bet, challenge, proposal, etc.)

took me up on it

9

: to begin again or take over from another

we must take the good work up again

intransitive verb

1

: to make a beginning where another has left off

2

: to become shortened : draw together : shrink

see also:

take up the cudgels take up with

Synonyms of take up

• lift
• raise
• elevate

Examples of take up in a Sentence

please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it

the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, the Illinois General Assembly’s failure earlier this week to take up the last-minute Senate legislation, which several House lawmakers said was due to a lack of time to study the proposal, immediately raised questions about the fate of the Bears’ future home stadium. —Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026

Like her mom—who is a fan of classical music—Charlotte has also taken up playing the piano, proving that her passion for music extends beyond her rotating car DJ role. —Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 5 June 2026

Authorities have said test results could take up to a month. —ABC News, 5 June 2026

Better Brain & Body’s numbers — about 80% of users feeling less stressed and anxious after three to four weeks, with some seeing results in just a few days and others taking up to six weeks — fall inside the same range. —Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for take up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

take-up

1 of 2 noun

ˈtā-ˌkəp

1

: a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises in completing a stitch

2

: a device for winding photographic film on a reel, core, or spool

take up

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)tā-ˈkəp

1

: to begin to occupy

took up their positions

2

: to begin to engage in : undertake

took up swimming

3

: to absorb or incorporate into itself

plants taking up water and minerals

4

: to pull up or in so as to tighten or to shorten

take up the slack

Medical Definition

take up

transitive verb

: to absorb or incorporate into itself

the rate at which the cells took up glucose

take-up noun

Legal Definition

take up

transitive verb

1

: to pay the amount of (as a note) : pay in full for

2

: to proceed to deal with

take up a motion