1
as in facing
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
2
as in hiring
to provide with a paying job
decided to take her on as store manager
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in borrowing
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
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Recent Examples of taking on
Oli Kay is bravely taking on those who are willing to die on that hill.
—
Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Unlike with Netflix or HBO, YouTube creators are taking on the risk for their projects (though, granted, there’s a great disparity in production budgets).
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Now, advanced tech is taking on closets to help people choose their outfits for the day—and even professional fashion stylists are all-in on the business.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
The same is true for Daniel Kaluuya, who is taking on a fresh take on the purple dino for A24, with Ayo Edebiri co-starring.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
The day will end with the Atlanta Falcons taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
While other people were asking about promotions, titles, and raises, Burns was taking on the problems nobody else wanted to solve.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
Week 6 begins with the Eagles taking on the Giants.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
This is particularly true now that Middleton is back to taking on more engagements after her cancer.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
Phil Hay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Unlike with Netflix or HBO, YouTube creators are taking on the risk for their projects (though, granted, there’s a great disparity in production budgets).
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Now, advanced tech is taking on closets to help people choose their outfits for the day—and even professional fashion stylists are all-in on the business.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025
The same is true for Daniel Kaluuya, who is taking on a fresh take on the purple dino for A24, with Ayo Edebiri co-starring.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
The day will end with the Atlanta Falcons taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
While other people were asking about promotions, titles, and raises, Burns was taking on the problems nobody else wanted to solve.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Oct. 2025
Week 6 begins with the Eagles taking on the Giants.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
This is particularly true now that Middleton is back to taking on more engagements after her cancer.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking on
Verb
-
Today, Long Island remains a blend of suburban life, coastal culture, and historic estates while also facing challenges of rising seas and housing affordability.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Phypers is facing criminal charges, including two counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend or child's parent; and two counts of dissuading a witness by force or threat.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The union is striking for higher wages and benefits and hiring more employees to fill staffing shortages.—
Pat Maio,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
-
And when eight teams are in the process of hiring a manager, there are only so many qualified candidates to go around.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
All smoke and sweat, full of gospel phrasing and hip-hop undertones, Brown Sugar introduced D’Angelo as an emotive, smooth-talking vocalist, a thinking, feeling performer in the likeness of Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, and Curtis Mayfield without borrowing too heavily from any of them.—
Marcus J. Moore,
Pitchfork,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The only silver lining in recent economic news is that the Fed has finally started a rate-cutting cycle in an attempt to shoreup a softening job market, which could benefit consumers interested in borrowing for mortgages, cars and other purchases.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But the Russian leader hasn’t shown any interest in meeting with Zelenskyy and Moscow has only intensified its bombardment of Ukraine.—
Chris Megerian,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Consider meeting with a dietitian for support.—
Carrie Madormo,
Health,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Much like a soccer team employing zonal marking on a corner kick or free kick, going zone against a baseline out of bounds (BLOB) or sideline out of bounds (SLOB) play simplifies the defensive assignments and minimizes the impact of the opponent's crossing and screening actions.—
Jim Root,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Velasca works with leading producers, employing cashmere from Filati Biagioli Modesto and fabrics from Thomas Mason for its shirts.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instagram is now adopting the same label for a teen-safety feature, but the possible outcomes are less discrete and obvious.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In the end, Krantz added, adopting a more strategic approach ultimately benefits customers, allowing companies to use their time and money more effectively by learning from the successes of others.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After encountering an old friend, Colette, embarrassed about her friend’s success compared to her own, pretends to be a customer at the DMV instead of an employee.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to the premiere dates, a teaser trailer also gives audiences a tantalizing glimpse at Luke Thompson‘s Benedict encountering his love interest Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mould plowed on, recruiting former Mercyland bassist Barbe and Human Switchboard and Zulus drummer Travis as his new rhythm section.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The companies that are surviving can scale from 50 to 300 people on a case-by-case basis, recruiting per project rather than permanently.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taking on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20on. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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