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

Allowing this fear to take hold leads many leaders to play it safe and avoid taking the risks that can really help their company take off. —Ciarán McArdle, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025

The spinoff idea really took hold with the cast and crew, as Poehler, 53, noted on her podcast. —Julia Moore, People.com, 20 May 2025

Over the years, many a remedy have been tossed about to stop bloating for good—eat your food in a specific order, dry brush, try a star nutritionist’s holistic approach—but nothing has taken hold quite like the world of bloat supplements. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 20 May 2025

But now, a quieter trend is taking hold in exhausted households nationwide: revenge meals. —Christine Michel Carter, Parents, 20 May 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