taken up

past participle of take up
1
2
as in absorbed
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

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of taken up The bulk of the complex is taken up by six long batting cages, at least four extendable pitching mounds and a 100-feet-by-30-feet practice field. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 6 June 2026 Like her mom—who is a fan of classical music—Charlotte has also taken up playing the piano, proving that her passion for music extends beyond her rotating car DJ role. Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 5 June 2026 Set the scene On its return to the emirate, the brand has taken up residence on the first 18 floors of the 52-storey Palm Tower skyscraper, one of the tallest in Dubai. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026 Soon, the group had taken up most of the grassy stretch behind the walkway, their beer cans, bags of chips, and pouches of tobacco scattered all around. Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 24 May 2026 But lately access has been restricted to pedestrians, too, as the plaza just in front of the White House fence has been partially taken up by construction equipment for the construction of the new East Wing ballroom. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 May 2026 Increasingly, communities have taken up arms themselves to fight back against groups like Los Ardillos. Megan Janetsky, Fortune, 10 May 2026 The idea was then taken up by other Scottish scholars, including James Frazer, whose widely read compendium The Golden Bough (1890) attempted to establish cross-cultural parallels in mythology. Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026 That bill was expected to be taken up by the House. John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken up
Verb
  • But that could change soon as the Bank of Japan has been hiking rates while hotter inflation has lifted Japanese government bond yields, which are now looking more attractive and emerging as an alternative to Treasury bonds.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 June 2026
  • The Red Sea fest and market held in city of Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, was established in 2019, with its inaugural edition taking place in 2020, two years after Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on commercial movie theaters.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 6 June 2026
Verb
  • What likely happened, the team explains, is that the planet spiraled inwards towards the star, became orbitally unstable, and was eventually absorbed.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
  • Renwick’s belief that athleticwear designers were for too long a time absorbed in making men’s lives easier — and efforts to reverse this pattern by turning its gaze towards women — completely revolutionized the industry, which is why the brand is a no-brainer addition to this article.
    Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 4 June 2026
Verb
  • Other states also borrowed money to keep benefits flowing during the pandemic, and all but California have repaid their loans.
    Dan Walters, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
  • Whether stolen, borrowed, or bought, public trash cans from various cities—New York, Berlin, Rome, and Bolzano—are sparsely distributed across the hall.
    Erika Landström, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • Lenny, who was born and raised on Maui, caught his first wave at Cove Park in Kihei at age four, was windsurfing by age six, and was tackling giant waves in his teens.
    Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
  • Filings show that between January and March, Schmidt raised about $177,000.
    Matthew Kelly Updated June 7, Kansas City Star, 7 June 2026
Verb
  • Late Friday, however, state officials adopted a new structure for the emissions program, called cap-and-invest, that analysts say will likely reduce wildfire mitigation funding by $200 million per year.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
  • Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.
    Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • Yeatman embraced those quick adjustments, recalling that the entire crew quickly developed a shorthand that allowed everyone to seamlessly adjust to the needs of the production without having to stop and discuss every little change.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 June 2026
  • Along with the saints found on El Mencho’s altar, another saint embraced in narco culture is the Santo Niño of Atocha, a childlike Christ figure known as the patron saint of prisoners and those in danger, said Robert Almonte, a law enforcement trainer and consultant in San Antonio, Texas.
    Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 June 2026
Verb
  • Taxpayers will be shelling out a big slice of their taxes to service debt taken on in the past to finance government spending in years gone by.
    Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 14 May 2026
  • The convergence has also taken on a nostalgic shape online.
    Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026

Cite this Entry

“Taken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20up. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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