TAKEN UP Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

taken up

verb

past participle of take up

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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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 up Judging from this album, a lot of grim topics have taken up residence there. — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026 The festival has taken up the mantle of the World of Faeries Festival, which successfully ran for 19 years and ended in 2023. — Daily Herald, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 Springer had by then dropped Lowden and taken up with Brumetti. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026 Much of the available living space is taken up by an open living/kitchen area. — Adam Williams july 12, New Atlas, 13 July 2026 That deal included a £25million ($33m) option to make the move permanent, which was not taken up by Everton. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 29 June 2026 Similar incidents, like the explosion of SpaceX's Falcon 9 at LC-40 in 2016, have taken up to twice as long to recover from. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 27 June 2026 The first issue taken up by the appeals court was whether the district court should have granted the UPEPA special motion filed by Adam, Austin and Arica. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken up

Verb

For example, experts estimate that some 2 million buildings in Florida will need to be lifted to avoid frequent flood damage, but so far, little has happened, and federal grants are being delayed.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
Trend-right product across the portfolio lifted Steve Madden‘s second quarter earnings, and things are looking up for the rest of the year.

— Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 30 July 2026

Definition of lifted

Verb

Flores absorbed the method in Tambo Mayo, a village along the Ucayali River in northeastern Peru where she was born in 1950.

— Gabriella Angeleti, The New York Review of Books, 1 Aug. 2026
Quickly stir until most of the flour is absorbed, then cook, stirring vigorously and breaking up pockets of dry flour as needed, until a thin film forms on bottom and sides of pan and dough comes together into a single mass, 2–3 minutes.

— Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of absorbed

Verb

Now, researchers at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have borrowed a trick from bridge engineering to keep these ocean giants standing.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026
Executives may mistake the absence of obvious consequences for proof that their system is working, when in fact, today’s performance is often borrowed from tomorrow’s decline.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of borrowed

Verb

Multiple people familiar with the matter said the crown prince raised concerns about plans for potential strikes on Iran during the call.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
The union has also raised questions about Cázares' role as fiscal advisor, pointing to her previous work overseeing other financially troubled school districts and questioning her compensation.

— Richard Ramos, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of raised

Verb

Forty-seven institutions have now adopted formal policies of institutional neutrality modeled after the University of Chicago's Kalven Report.

— Scott White, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
The Judicial Council recently adopted the reporting requirement and is developing a public dashboard expected to launch next month.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of adopted

Verb

Dan Na Ambassagou, a militia group that fights against Fulanis, accusing them of harboring Islamist groups, was once embraced by the government but has now been denounced.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
The Cleveland Browns quarterback embraced his father’s appearance at training camp in Berea, Ohio this week — one year after telling the Colorado head coach to keep his distance.

— Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Definition of embraced

Verb

The cast celebrated with selfies taken on digital cameras, kisses, hugs, and smiles, showing a chemistry that bodes well for their onscreen performances.

— Alessia Amorosini, Vanity Fair, 30 July 2026
Control of those features and the waters around them has taken on even greater importance this year in light of what has played out in the Persian Gulf.

— Ivan Watson, CNN Money, 24 July 2026