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

As a marked return to high heels takes hold, one big push at Sam Edelman is the expansion of the brand’s best-selling Hazel pump, which is getting an update with a new a 105-millimeter heel. —Stephen Garner, Footwear News, 6 Feb. 2026

Seeing a therapist or embracing therapeutic techniques, like a stress rehearsal, can keep fear from taking hold. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 5 Feb. 2026

The most important thing after a shower is to make sure your bathroom surfaces dry quickly; this gives mold less of a chance to take hold. —Molly Burford, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2026

There’s a perverse streak of what is either Hollywood metacommentary or simple cruelty in the fact that The Beauty has cast actors whom the industry might consider unappealing, then recast them with other, hotter actors once the Beauty takes hold. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026

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