taken hold

phrase

past participle of take hold
as in worked
to produce a desired effect It was clear in the students' essays that her lessons had taken hold.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hold In recent quarters, the burger chain’s turnaround has taken hold in its home market. Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 The image painted by El-Sayed of Stevens as a politician beholden to big-money interests had taken hold. Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026 Less than a month out, things are pretty settled, and a kind of nervous anticipation has taken hold. Anthony Wood, Space.com, 16 July 2026 Second, an unpredictable variant of the Ebola virus has taken hold in Congo and Uganda. Peter Hailey, The Conversation, 16 July 2026 Although Mexico is at the center of much of the debate, critical sentiment toward Argentina has taken hold among fans from other Latin American countries. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026 Perhaps helped along by gendered expectations of strength and silence, the idea that men are friendless has taken hold. Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 Business Insider reported May 9 that the comeback had taken hold in high schools and colleges in the Northeast, fueled by TikTok and Instagram accounts that treated schoolyard circles like varsity programs. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Taken hold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20hold. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!