take for

verb

took for; taken for; taking for; takes for

transitive verb

: to suppose (someone) to be (a particular kind of person) : to perceive (someone) as (something)

What do you take me for?

"I think I do understand. I'm not such a dull fellow as you take me for."

—Lucy Maud Montgomery

… a usually commonsensical fellow who was anything but the … clod some people took him for.

—Robert Sherrill

Please do not take me for a wimp—one of those pallid, selfless creatures who shuns disagreements entirely.

—Maggie Scarf

Examples of take for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The assault by federal agents was an attack on something pre-political, on parts of our communal existence that people, in normal times, take for granted. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026

Jason Blum will produce the feature take for Blumhouse, with the studio’s Ryan Turek exec producing alongside May and IDW Publishing CEO Davidi Jonas. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 30 Jan. 2026

Then, there are the travelers looking for stargazing opportunities, the best trips to take for bird watching (even insect or butterfly spotting). —Ramsey Qubein, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Many more steps must be taken for the developer to get the green light on their development proposal. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take for

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore