take out

verb

took out; taken out; taking out; takes out

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: deduct, separate

(2)

: exclude, omit

(3)

: withdraw, withhold

b

: to find release for : vent

… take out their resentments on one another.

—John W. Aldridge

c(1)

: eliminate

(2)

: kill, destroy

(3)

: knock out

2

a

: to obtain from the proper authority

take out a charter

take out a second mortgage

b

: to arrange for (insurance)

3

: to take as an equivalent in another form

took the debt out in trade

4

: to overcall (a bridge partner) in a different suit

intransitive verb

: to start on a course : set out

see also:

take it out on

Synonyms of take out

• unleash
• give way (to)
• release

Examples of take out in a Sentence

he took out his frustrations by splitting a cord of firewood

she'd like to take the new boy out to the movies sometime

Recent Examples on the Web

The fan was taken out of the court area through a baseline tunnel. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2026

The paper ballots would arrive that very night at the county’s election center and they’d be run through scanners as fast as they could be taken out of the containers and lined up in a tray. —Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 3 June 2026

The Endurance’s 11 instruments will be taken out of the ocean by the end of the month, after which the area will have insufficient data, Newton said. —Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 June 2026

These rules do not apply to all mortgages — just to conforming mortgages, which is what the majority of borrowers take out. —Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Rhymes for take out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

takeout

1 of 2 noun

take·​out ˈtā-ˌkau̇t 

1

: the action or an act of taking out

2

: something taken out or made to be taken out

3

: prepared food packaged to be eaten away from its place of sale

take out

2 of 2 verb

(ˈ)tā-ˈkau̇t

1

a

: to take away : deduct

b

: remove entry 1 sense 4

2

: to find release for : vent

took out their anger on me

3

: to conduct or escort into the open or to a public entertainment

4

: to take as payment in another form

took the debt out in goods

5

: to obtain from the proper authority

take out a charter

6

: to start on a course : set out