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

Millions of homeowners who secured ultra-low mortgage rates before the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates in 2022 are reluctant to sell because doing so would likely mean taking on a much more expensive mortgage. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

His big break came when he was cast as LAFD paramedic John Gage in Emergency, which was executive produced by Jack Webb and played like a fire department take on Dragnet. — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 10 July 2026

Diners who would normally not venture to this neighborhood are coming in droves for the comfortable, cheffy takes on gastropub cuisine. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

States, including Arkansas, are about to take on a large part of the incredible financial responsibility for administering SNAP, along with a significant portion of the program's benefit costs. — Arkansas Online, 10 July 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