taken up

Definition of taken upnext
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 Inside, most of the available floorspace is taken up by a large multifunctional space that combines living and sleeping areas. Adam Williams april 11, New Atlas, 11 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 His wife, Erika Kirk, has since taken up the mantel of spearheading his organization, Turning Point USA, and has committed to keeping his legacy alive. Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025 This simple idea, of searching for an answer, can be taken up a level — to much, much bigger maps, and to much harder problems than navigation, such as solving a complex puzzle or proving difficult mathematical theorems. Big Think, 4 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
  • Both Trotsky and Paul get absorbed in quarrelsome dialectics and in point-scoring built around minute differences.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The system absorbed the strike.
    Winston Ma, semafor.com, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • His rhetoric has helped sustain one of the fastest cash burns of any startup in history, relying on partners that have borrowed vast sums.
    Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Every dollar that the government spends is first taxed or borrowed from the private sector.
    Wayne Winegarden, Oc Register, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Capela raised his arms in celebration after hitting the shot and Houston’s bench stood and cheered.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • The company has raised more than $200 million in venture capital funding, with investments coming from the likes of SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Serena Williams’ firm Serena Ventures.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In New Zealand, a ban was adopted in 2022 but repealed in 2024.
    Marie Helweg-Larsen, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026
  • As currently written, the task force’s recommendations will have to be adopted by supervisors via an ordinance, leaving the door open for current and future supervisors to exert influence over the ethics commission’s budget, staff and authority.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, is part of the wing of the American right that embraced Orbán.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • These songs evince the mix of pop virtuosity and indie sleaze that would eventually make Larsson a cult artist, part of the lineage of straight white girls who are embraced as guardian angels for the gay club scene.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • One person was seen being taken on a stretcher out of the second house, to which the fire spread.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Taken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20up. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.

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