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 phrase reflects a shift in mindset taking hold across the industry: breaches will happen, and organizations need to prepare to recover as quickly and completely as possible. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

As a ceasefire in Gaza took hold in January, Anas Al-Sharif began removing his protective gear live on television, piece by piece, while a jubilant crowd cheered, hoping the day marked the end of the suffering of 2 million Palestinians in the enclave. —Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2025

But in 2022, after hybrid work took hold, the company began jettisoning most of its Seattle-area offices outside of the Redmond headquarters. —Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025

The format really took hold in 1988 with movies like 18 Again, Like Father Like Son, Vice Versa and the biggest of ’em all: Tom Hanks in Big. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 5 Aug. 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