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

McDermott’s successor, Joe Brady, takes on an immediate Super Bowl mandate for a franchise that’s been so close so often. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Any future hire would take on the club’s global soccer/football vision — across its KC Current senior squad, reserve squad, academies and HB Køge. — Pj Green september 11, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026

On this day in 1973, Bobby Riggs took on Billie Jean King in a tennis match televised around the world. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Dominik Mysterio takes on El Grande Americano on Sunday night in Night 2 with the AAA Mega Championship on the line. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 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