takes on

verb

present tense third-person singular of take on
1
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
2
as in employs
to provide with a paying job decided to take her on as store manager

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
  1. faces
  2. employs
  3. borrows
  4. encounters
  5. hires
  6. adopts
  7. meets
  8. recruits
Verb
  • Frankel also faces investment adviser fraud and false-statement counts over SEC filings that allegedly concealed his conviction and a Finra suspension.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The Ives fund will debut just as the AI industry faces internal and external calls to slow the pace of innovation amid mounting safety concerns.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of faces
Verb
  • Raffaele Rossetti, who has been serving as Pinalli’s chief executive officer since 2018, will lead the retailer’s next phase flanked by Borletti, who will assume the role of chairman of the company that currently employs more than 800 people.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Morgan Stanley, headquartered in New York City, currently operates offices in 42 countries and employs more than 80,000 people.
    — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of employs
Verb
  • Qubbat Duris borrows its name from a 13th-century monument near Baalbek, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where fragments of Roman limestone sarcophagi are layered atop eight granite columns from centuries prior.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Every growing company borrows against its own future orderliness.
    — Jeremy Bradley-Silverio Donato, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of borrows
Verb
  • Co-starring Madelyn Cline and Penélope Cruz, the film from director Marc Webb revolves around a private-yacht bartender (Cline) who encounters a mysterious, onboard guest (Depp).
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of encounters
Verb
  • Related Stories As per the synopsis, when Bríghid hires Naomi to drive her from Belfast to her childhood home in County Donegal their unlikely friendship takes them on an unexpected adventure.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of hires
Verb
  • Another key element of the measure is establishing a two-year budget cycle for the city, which currently adopts its budget annually.
    — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of adopts
Verb
  • Throughout his sketchbooks, the outside world meets the inside one.
    — Ryan Sullivan, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found an even smaller share meets a stricter standard.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of meets
Verb
  • Monét released a trailer for Frequency of Love, which recruits a range of collaborators across R&B, including SZA, Bruno Mars, Leon Thomas, Bryson Tiller, Chlöe and Lucky Daye.
    — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The Lioness Program recruits female operatives who go undercover and infiltrate the inner circles of enemy targets by getting close to the women connected to them.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of recruits

Browse Nearby Words

takes off (on)
takes on
takes one's time
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Cite this Entry

“Takes on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/takes%20on. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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