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
While not everyone gets their wishes, those with no interest in taking on the deceptive — and challenging — role of a Traitor likely won't be chosen.
—
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Sunday’s game could be the first Clasico to feature English players in both teams — with Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold potentially taking on Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 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
Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.
—Elizabeth D. Samet, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025
Sunday’s game could be the first Clasico to feature English players in both teams — with Madrid duo Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold potentially taking on Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford.
—Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 23 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking on
Verb
-
His administration is facing increasing scrutiny after immigration officers killed two American citizens in Minneapolis this month.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Trump did not say when the conversation with Putin took place, but his comment comes as Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving large parts of the country facing power shortages and outages.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The same dynamic is now widely observed in universities, where hiring and professional advancement practices have produced increasingly uniform ideological cultures even without explicit political litmus tests.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The Atlanta Falcons added the final piece to their new leadership team on Thursday night by hiring Ian Cunningham as general manager.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Saviour follows Ben, played by Archie Fisher (Death by Lightning), who, after borrowing his dad’s police uniform for a costume party, gets into an altercation that results in a man’s death.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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Although interest rates on new-car loans have edged lower, buyers are borrowing larger amounts — the average amount financed for a new car recently reached an all-time high, according to Edmunds.—
Jessica Dickler,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
According to body camera footage, Grayson and sheriff's Deputy Dawson Farley, who was not charged, searched outside Massey's home before meeting her at her door.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Data from private equity analytics firm Preqin shows that the average fund that closed in 2025 spent 23 months in the market fundraising, up from 16 months in 2021, and fewer funds are meeting their fundraising goals at all.—
Hank Tucker,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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DigitalDefynd shared detailed observations on how the banking industry is employing AI.—
Gene Marks,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The holding company operates more than 400 locations across nine states, employing more than 8,000 workers.—
Amy Wenk,
AJC.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Street stylers are adopting these hues monochromatically, which keeps the look warm but minimal.—
Irene Kim,
Vogue,
31 Jan. 2026
-
All are grappling with budget problems after the fire and adopting plans to charge more.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sandweg also said the Border Patrol has no business operating in a city like Minneapolis because their training is geared more toward encountering drug cartels and migrants along the border.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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The book begins with a familiar spark, a rescue, but Wells wanted to push the setting into something stronger and tougher to move through, eventually coming up with another unique sci-fi setting that Murderbot and its friends can navigate while encountering friends, foes and more eye contact.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Thompson School District is one of the districts recruiting.—
Jasmine Arenas,
CBS News,
24 Jan. 2026
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The state hired a recruiting agency to look for nurses, Skipper said, a strategy that worked well with security staff recruitment.—
John Hult,
States Newsroom,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20on. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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