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 Wednesday Season 2, Part 2, meanwhile, reintroduces the late Nevermore Principal Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christine), who now has taken up residence in Wednesday’s consciousness after she was gravely injured at the end of Part 1. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 The center of the home is taken up by its kitchen. New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2025 So why hasn’t this anti-discrimination organization ever taken up the struggle of Palestinians? Sahar Mustafah august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025 New manufacturing facilities, particularly for clean technologies, have taken up new space in industrial parks. Justin Worland, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken up
Verb
  • The country’s Home Affairs Minister resigned, and the government lifted the social-media ban the day after.
    Chad de Guzman, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The mass protests started in response to the ban—which was lifted on Tuesday, September 9—but have since broadened into an expression of dissatisfaction with the country's political leadership and alleged corruption.
    Robert Birsel Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The New York Times reported on a Goldman Sachs study which found that consumers so far have borne only 10-40% of the cost of tariffs – producers and exporters have absorbed the rest.
    George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Glucose is absorbed in the intestine and passes into the blood.
    Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Home to more than 1,200 stores, the Dubai Mall is so big that complimentary electric buggies ferry shoppers around and free phone batteries can be borrowed in case visitors run out of power on a day trip there.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Nearly every part of the couple's wedding was borrowed or gifted with love.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The decision upheld a previous denial by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission over traffic concerns raised by city officials and in more than 300 public comments.
    Rose Evans September 10, Idaho Statesman, 10 Sep. 2025
  • After new state data showed substantial academic gains, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education members defended a six-figure consulting contract Tuesday that raised questions earlier this year about family connections to the district.
    Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • But only a small percentage of people who used The Browser Company’s Arc adopted the program’s special features.
    Jordan Novet, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The pair have since married and adopted twin children.
    Mikelle Street, Them., 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, Edgell has since embraced baking full time, according to the outlet.
    Jane LaCroix, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • As the Internet, and now AI, enabled increased firms’ capabilities, and customers acquired more power in the marketplace, the most successful firms were those that embraced startingly different principles.
    Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Older adults who drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice had fewer mouth bacteria called Prevotella, which is linked to inflammation, and more helpful bacteria like Neisseria.
    Ashley J. DiMella, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • And last season, the pair drank a whole lot of that tasty tea with the help of Corbin.
    Emma Moon, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The rapper and actor, 67, hosts the new A&E documentary Fame and Fentanyl, which sheds light on the devastating toll fentanyl has taken on modern-day America.
    Lizzie Hyman, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, signed from Chelsea, has since taken on the No 1 shirt following Neto’s exit to Botafogo.
    The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Taken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20up. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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