take up

1 to move from a lower to a higher place or position please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it Synonyms boost, crane, elevate, heave, heft, heighten, hike, hoist, jack (up), lift, perk (up), pick up, raise, up, uphold, uplift, upraiseRelated Words ascend, mount, rise; rear, upendNear Antonyms descend, dip, fall, pitch, plunge, slip; bear, depress, press, push; sink, submergeAntonyms drop, lower

2 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 drink, imbibe, soak (up), sponge, suck (up), absorbRelated Words gulp, guzzle, quaff, sip, slurp, swallow, swig, swill

3 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 borrow, embrace, espouse, take on, adoptRelated Words domesticate, naturalize; appropriate, arrogate, take over, usurp; absorb, assimilate, incorporate, quote; cherish, prize, treasure; cultivate, follow, heed, honor; use, utilize; bring up, foster, nurture, raise, rear; affect, assume, copy, imitate, pretend, put on, simulateNear Antonyms abandon, forsake, give up, relinquish, surrender; abjure, abnegate, disown; reject, renounce, repudiate, spurn; discard, jettison, junk, throw away, throw out