Synonyms of take up

take up

verb

1

as in to lift

to move from a lower to a higher place or position

please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lift
• raise
• elevate
• uplift
• hoist
• pick up
• hike
• uphold
• boost
• heighten
• jack (up)
• heave
• perk (up)
• up
• crane
• heft
• rise
• ascend
• mount
• upraise
• rear
• upend

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drop
• fall
• lower
• slip
• descend
• push
• bear
• dip
• plunge
• press
• sink
• pitch
• depress
• submerge

2

as in to drink

to take in (something liquid) through small openings

the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drink
• absorb
• soak (up)
• suck (up)
• swallow
• imbibe
• sponge
• sip
• gulp
• quaff
• slurp
• guzzle
• swig
• swill

3

as in to borrow

to take for one's own use (something originated by another)

one cluster of fans started chanting the team name of the champions, and the crowd quickly took up the cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• borrow
• adopt
• embrace
• take on
• pick up on
• cultivate
• follow
• assimilate
• take over
• espouse
• use
• utilize
• incorporate
• imitate
• put on
• copy
• appropriate
• absorb
• honor
• bring up
• treasure
• quote
• cherish
• usurp
• prize
• affect
• heed
• raise
• domesticate
• foster
• simulate
• pretend
• assume
• arrogate
• naturalize
• nurture
• rear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• give up
• abandon
• relinquish
• surrender
• forsake
• reject
• disown
• renounce
• abjure
• throw away
• throw out
• repudiate
• spurn
• discard
• abnegate
• jettison
• junk

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of take up

The lower box, which takes up most of the carton's side, has an 89-word message that makes the case that most people want their governments to take climate action and that doing so could lead to political wins. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Hale had been unsuccessfully urging governors, congressmen, and even prior presidents to take up this task—for decades. — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 30, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026

All this heat has huge ripple effects, driving marine heat waves, fueling stronger and more destructive storms, damaging marine life and increasing sea level rise, both by melting ice and because warmer water takes up more space. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

And some Republicans are pushing to take up other bills to address voters' frustrations with the cost of living. — Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026