1
as in lifted
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in borrowed
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taken up
Most of the ground floor's space is taken up by the kitchen, which occupies the center of the home.
—
Adam Williams
april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
With airfares and fees on the rise, consumers still can make choices that determine how much of their travel budgets will get taken up by paying to get to and from their destinations.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
An almost identical policy was originally taken up during a lengthy Plymouth Select Board meeting in January.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Politics consequently occupies much of the space for leftists that is usually taken up by family, religion, career and community for conservatives.
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
History of Wimberley Established as a trading post by settlers in 1848, the area was previously home to Native Americans and later frequented by Spanish conquistadors who had taken up in nearby San Antonio.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Since the 2022 Games in Beijing, the Chinese government announced that around 313 million people had taken up ice and snow sports, or related leisure activities.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The former prince spirited off from the Royal Lodge in the middle of the night and has reportedly taken up residence in a cottage in Sandringham.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
So my attention was taken up with wiping off the counter and the tiles, and remaking the coffee.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
Adam Williams
april 19, New Atlas, 19 Apr. 2026
With airfares and fees on the rise, consumers still can make choices that determine how much of their travel budgets will get taken up by paying to get to and from their destinations.
—ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026
An almost identical policy was originally taken up during a lengthy Plymouth Select Board meeting in January.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 18 Apr. 2026
Politics consequently occupies much of the space for leftists that is usually taken up by family, religion, career and community for conservatives.
—Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 23 Mar. 2026
History of Wimberley Established as a trading post by settlers in 1848, the area was previously home to Native Americans and later frequented by Spanish conquistadors who had taken up in nearby San Antonio.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Since the 2022 Games in Beijing, the Chinese government announced that around 313 million people had taken up ice and snow sports, or related leisure activities.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The former prince spirited off from the Royal Lodge in the middle of the night and has reportedly taken up residence in a cottage in Sandringham.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
So my attention was taken up with wiping off the counter and the tiles, and remaking the coffee.
—Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken up
Verb
-
From Florida's Key West to Puget Sound in Washington, America watched and hoped together as the Artemis II astronauts lifted off, splashed down, and touched the nation from a quarter million miles away.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
-
So, Carson lifted the ban on Chase.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stoners are no longer useful as a comedy device, while pot’s countercultural meaning has dissipated as it’s been absorbed into the mainstream.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Uncover and bake for another 12 to 16 minutes, until the orzo is tender, has absorbed most of the stock, and the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Something borrowed Abby Rodriguez lends Sophie Janinet a veil for her wedding.—
Dania Maxwell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
While the school waited for uniforms to be made, the basketball team borrowed uniforms from a local team for a game.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since then, prices for many games have been raised further, sparking widespread outrage.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
To this, the stoic Bednar raised an uncharacteristic (and bruised) eyebrow.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Baseball already has adopted three-game-series, with the possibility of Saturday doubleheaders in regional play.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Some gravitate toward the traditional Latin Mass, while others lean toward the Novus Ordo, the format for Mass widely adopted after Vatican II.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, Iran and its partners have additionally embraced information warfare with far greater coherence than even the United States.—
Gaurav Srivastava,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Many REITs have embraced the role even though the subsidiaries must pay corporate taxes and risk losing money if the businesses do poorly.—
Jordan Rau,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In Africa, future plans to build reactors have taken on urgency, with Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa affirming their support.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The big story In this photograph taken on September 23, 2025, employees work at a garment factory in Tiruppur, in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20up. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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