take hold

idiomatic phrase

1

: to grasp, grip, or seize something

took hold and hung on tight

—often used with of

take hold of the railing

… she took hold of his arm with both her hands, and looked up eagerly—oh, with such terrible eagerness!—into his face.

—Anthony Trollope

—often used figuratively

As word of the subpoenas spread … confusion and hysteria took hold of the social set …

—Bob Colacello

I did not want Merlin to retire from the job until I was ready to take hold of it effectively myself …

—Mark Twain

2

: to become effective, established, or popular

The change in the law has not yet taken hold.

… a swath of land that has been spared from lava flows long enough that rich vegetation has had a chance to take hold.

—G. Brad Lewis

… here in central California the French aesthetic has recently taken hold.

—Rebecca Coffey

Examples of take hold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared that famine has taken hold in Gaza, affecting more than half a million people—with catastrophic food insecurity already underway. —Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

The landscape is ripe for something new to take hold. —Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025

That shift is beginning to take hold. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2025

In July, Pepsi reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations, as the company projected that weak North American demand will rebound as strategy changes take hold. —Yun Li, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take hold

• copyhold
• decontrolled
• hundredfold
• manifold
• marigold
• oversold
• petioled
• sevenfold
• stranglehold
• subthreshold
• thousandfold
• uncontrolled