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

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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

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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 takes on 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 Charlize Theron, who takes on the role of the temptress nymph Calypso, has leaned toward the seductive, wearing Tom Ford short-shorts on one carpet and a black Givenchy dress with a thigh-high slit on another. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 20 July 2026 An InStyle writer gathered seven dimensional takes on the trend to inspire your next salon visit, ahead. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 6 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for takes on

Verb

Making those comments before Michigan faces Oklahoma, one of the toughest defenses on its schedule, lays the groundwork for a QB switch if the offense sputters again.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Russian forces have ramped up the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kyiv faces a shortage of air defense equipment.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of faces

Verb

The company already had a strong corporate presence in the city, but has since expanded and employs 2,500 Georgians, as well as workers around the world at 5,300 global locations.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
The company employs about 850 people, does hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure work around the Northeast, and is frequently Connecticut’s choice on big-ticket contracts to construct schools, rebuild highways or repair bridges.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of employs

Verb

Then there’s Sula, whose ending James borrows, tweaking the circumstances but cribbing the emotional beats.

— Tembe Denton-Hurst, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Vanity Fair reported that when the value of a property rises, Kiyosaki borrows more money against that equity, and all the investments are protected by LLCs.

— Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of borrows

Verb

Good Samaritan Outreach, an Orlando nonprofit food pantry and soup kitchen founded in 1997, encounters these families every week, people who are doing their best but need a helping hand to ensure their children not go to bed hungry.

— Christine Franz, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
When the scanning tip encounters a rough surface, the mechanical contact between the probe and the sample changes.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of encounters

Verb

Lucie, having exhausted all other possibilities, and needing Darnay in order to find her father, hires a very reluctant Carton, who in a trick worthy of Perry Mason, gets him off when a witness cannot tell him and Darnay apart.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Ironically, that only clicks into focus when Lester hires a handsome indigenous boy named Jimmy (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) to be the woman of the house.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of hires

Verb

Danny Boyle adopts a similar strategy with this snazzy screen adaptation, shot through with kinetic energy, convulsive editing and a liberal sprinkling of post-punk, electro-pop and indie rock that thumbs its nose at period accuracy.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Georgia adopts federal fuel waiver in hopes of easing cost pressure.

— Adam Beam, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of adopts

Verb

Meanwhile, the Bank of England, which meets shortly after the Fed, is widely expected by markets to hold rates unchanged.

— , CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026
The changes are part of a broader effort by local agencies to keep pace with growth north of Eagle and improve emergency response in an area where suburban development increasingly meets the Foothills, Lewis said.

— Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of meets

Verb

Set against the competitive world of Fleet Street, Murdoch purchases the failing Sun and recruits Lamb, a working-class editor with a very different idea of what a newspaper can be.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
In the 1990 original, Quaid played a race team owner who recruits Cole into NASCAR, while Nicole Kidman played a neurosurgeon who becomes Cole’s love interest.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026