TAKES ON Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

takes on

verb

present tense third-person singular of take on

as in faces

to enter into contest or conflict with will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in employs

to provide with a paying job decided to take her on as store manager

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in borrows

to take for one's own use (something originated by another) recently arrived immigrants who are eager to take on the language and culture of their adopted homeland

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 takes on Alabama takes on Florida State in a battle that should see plenty of offense. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026 Clarks x Damson Madder Damson Madder x Clarks Originals collection, which launched Thursday, features two fresh takes on Clarks archive styles. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2026 Closing out the evening at Louis Armstrong Stadium, American Learner Tien takes on Russian Karen Khachanov, hoping to join compatriots Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen in the last eight. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026 Newport Harbor is 9-0 and takes on Edison and Marina in league matches this week before beginning play in the Dave Mohs tournament. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Hylton takes on a task that has for many years been anchored by Alex Witt. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 If no candidate secures a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary, the contest could head to a runoff later this month to determine who takes on Democrat Annie Andrews in November. — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026 Shadowbox takes on management of Kaufman Astoria after a tumultuous period at the studios. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026 Joshua takes on heavyweight contender Kristian Prenga in the main event of an overall strong card. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for takes on

Verb

Social Security faces trust fund depletion dates projected for the next decade that would trigger across-the-board benefit cuts unless lawmakers act sooner.

— Lorie Konish, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
Competition complicates proposal The legislation faces a difficult path through Congress.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of faces

Verb

There’s also a parade of comic supporting turns that recalls those classic Hawks and Sturges comedies in the breadth and depth of the character actors Cassavetes employs.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
Additionally the company employs an all-local team of chefs, wilderness guides, and property managers—a commitment that helps address the region’s rural migration crisis, as young people leave their villages to find work in more urban areas.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of employs

Verb

In July, the OIG warned that the state's high-speed rail project could run out of money as soon as December 2027 unless the state borrows billions to keep construction on schedule.

— Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
This visualizer borrows the format of the DROID Dataset Visualizer — many thanks for making the source code openly available.

— IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of borrows

Verb

Viscose Rugs Jones encounters many homeowners with viscose rugs but is determined that her clients do not go the route of this material.

— Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 19 Sep. 2026
Anyone who encounters a dead or stranded marine mammal is urged to leave the animal alone and immediately report the sighting to local wildlife authorities or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of encounters

Verb

The workers’ comp rule that surprises almost everyone Most states require workers’ compensation insurance once a business hires its first employee.

— Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
In order to solidify his cover in Tehran and throw off the story’s villain, Qasim (Navid Negahban, Kandahar), Tucker hires a young Iranian-American woman, Zara (Bollywood star Elnaaz Norouzi, very good), to pose as his wife.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of hires

Verb

But Eliot also uses free indirect discourse, the technique in which an omniscient narrator adopts the perspective of an individual character, to inhabit Dorothea beyond her surface qualities.

— Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Success won’t be determined by who adopts AI the fastest or deploys post-quantum cryptography first.

— Evgeny Gervis, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of adopts

Verb

Cornered, Zeka leaps onto a balcony and meets Vlora, a woman from a remote village trying to disappear for reasons of her own in a story described as a redemption tale.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Designs show that the interchange where Santa Fe Street meets I-35 will mirror the one at 87th Street and I-35, along the border of Lenexa and Overland Park.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of meets

Verb

Aguilar was told by fire academy recruits that her social media content helped bring them into the profession.

— Vincent Medina, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
The people helping recruits land scholarships are not necessarily involved in negotiating what comes with them.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026