1
as in stood in
to serve as a replacement usually for a time only
I'll take over for her until she gets back from her morning break
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in accepted
to take to or upon oneself
took over the responsibility of caring for the animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in commandeered
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
students protesting the war took over the college's radio station
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taken over
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation.
—
Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
The Mizzou basketball program was in shambles in 1967 when it was taken over by Stewart, the Shelbyville native and True Son who’d starred on Missouri’s basketball and baseball teams in the 1950s.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
Now, he’s taken over the family business.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Mar. 2026
The case was taken over by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
After six years as co-host of CBS Mornings, the 45-year-old journalist has taken over the anchor chair at CBS Evening News, a role once held by the likes of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
—Sean Mandell, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
As a pilgrimage for generations of Colorado families, business owners, workers and visitors, as Coors put it, the Stock Show continues to stand out with its physical fellowship, and not the impersonal commerce, Zoom calls or social media messaging that have taken over business.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Puma’s Popovic believes unsanctioned races have taken over for run clubs as the best form of community building.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
It’s taken over a century, but chestnut farming is bouncing back.
—Todd Plummer, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2025
Nikiya Carrero, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
The Mizzou basketball program was in shambles in 1967 when it was taken over by Stewart, the Shelbyville native and True Son who’d starred on Missouri’s basketball and baseball teams in the 1950s.
—Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
Now, he’s taken over the family business.
—Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Mar. 2026
The case was taken over by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
After six years as co-host of CBS Mornings, the 45-year-old journalist has taken over the anchor chair at CBS Evening News, a role once held by the likes of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.
—Sean Mandell, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
As a pilgrimage for generations of Colorado families, business owners, workers and visitors, as Coors put it, the Stock Show continues to stand out with its physical fellowship, and not the impersonal commerce, Zoom calls or social media messaging that have taken over business.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026
Puma’s Popovic believes unsanctioned races have taken over for run clubs as the best form of community building.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
It’s taken over a century, but chestnut farming is bouncing back.
—Todd Plummer, Vogue, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken over
Verb
-
Hegseth came out of his own service, in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the seeming conviction that what had stood in the way of a fuller victory in those wars had been the restraints supposedly placed on how soldiers could kill.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In February, Cooper stood in the same spot at Sheriff’s Office headquarters to rail against the parole board’s decision to grant Funston’s release.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When the train stopped for three hours outside Guiyang, the backpacker finally admitted defeat and accepted a cigarette.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Those who are accepted go through a 10-week training academy, which Leonas helps instruct.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Police say that when the friend refused, Rosas punched him in the face, knocking out his tooth, and commandeered the car.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Sonoma State commandeered the spotlight, announcing the discontinuation of its sports department due to a hefty $24 million budget deficit.—
Ryan Curry,
San Francisco Chronicle,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Jason Barquero filled in for Lantz.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The one next to the Brooklyn Bridge, 30 Columbia Heights, would get a one-story addition, with its current wedding-cake cutout shape mostly filled in.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many shots audiences assumed were digital were actually practical effects using Jay’s wheelchair design.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This all assumed that radiation, matter, and curvature were the only allowable components to the Universe.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Even the sixth-generation ryokans that have occupied this neighborhood for centuries don’t have this bird’s eye view.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
-
If slightly adult-leaning movies once occupied the center of the multiplex, that territory now belongs to the PG movie.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Following his successful year, Ryan Castro has now stepped in as a creative director for Agua Bendita, fully co-creating and shaping everything from the design to the campaign.—
Ingrid Fajardo,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As spring break crowds and South by Southwest Conference and Festival travelers packed security lines at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this week, a local burger chain stepped in with a gesture aimed at the workers keeping the system moving.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After weeks of delays, four astronauts are preparing to launch Wednesday evening on a trip around the moon, the first such spaceflight to be undertaken in more than 50 years.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The president is threatening military action in Cuba that should never be undertaken.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taken over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20over. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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