1
as in substituting
to serve as a replacement usually for a time only
I'll take over for her until she gets back from her morning break
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in assuming
to take to or upon oneself
took over the responsibility of caring for the animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in seizing
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
students protesting the war took over the college's radio station
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taking over
Denver Mountain Parks will staff the welcome station at Echo Lake and manage the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, taking over that role from the Arapaho National Forest.
—
John Meyer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Almost a year to the day, in another surprise move, Malone is taking over a blueblood program with six national titles, a record 21 appearances in the Final Four and alums including Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter and Atlantic Coast Conference career scoring leader Tyler Hansbrough.
—Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
With it, new media began taking over the arts’ function of representing reality.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Thus, the goal for someone involved in that kind of run may look different than, say, a new general manager taking over a team.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Daniel Radcliffe, the original Harry Potter in the movies, has given his blessing to the series and wished McLaughlin well in taking over the role.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Popular local bakery chain Estelle Bakery & Patisserie is set to expand into a new location, taking over the space at 400 Iron Point Road.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Republicans are instead taking over the floor with their own speeches, proceeding under regular order but operating outside the normal time limits that are customary when debating legislation.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
Frost went 554-133-43 after taking over for the program's first coach, Laura Halldorson, in 2007.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
John Meyer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
Almost a year to the day, in another surprise move, Malone is taking over a blueblood program with six national titles, a record 21 appearances in the Final Four and alums including Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Vince Carter and Atlantic Coast Conference career scoring leader Tyler Hansbrough.
—Aaron Beard, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
With it, new media began taking over the arts’ function of representing reality.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Thus, the goal for someone involved in that kind of run may look different than, say, a new general manager taking over a team.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Daniel Radcliffe, the original Harry Potter in the movies, has given his blessing to the series and wished McLaughlin well in taking over the role.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Popular local bakery chain Estelle Bakery & Patisserie is set to expand into a new location, taking over the space at 400 Iron Point Road.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Republicans are instead taking over the floor with their own speeches, proceeding under regular order but operating outside the normal time limits that are customary when debating legislation.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
Frost went 554-133-43 after taking over for the program's first coach, Laura Halldorson, in 2007.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking over
Verb
-
Simply grab a ruler, pen, and blank sheet of paper to illustrate your space by substituting the dimensions of the room in feet for inches.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Yet Potter never considered substituting him.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The operation triggered a political shift in Caracas, with then–Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assuming power and moving to rebuild energy ties with Washington.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Currently, there are 108 IONNA locations operational with 375 NACS and 658 CCS plugs, assuming the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator remains a reliable resource.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The laws, which her party backed in recent years, eliminated preliminary detention in certain cases and raised the threshold for seizing criminal assets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Mansfield Legacy throttles Crowley Mansfield Legacy piled on the hits against Crowley Friday, seizing a 17-1 victory in a game that ended after three innings.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eventually, people could not resist returning to their lives, to routines more comfortable than standing in the streets with the sun glaring in your eyes, squinting up to check the position of snipers on a roof, or working with cramping fingers sewing your tenth mask of the night.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
When the nefarious Red Ribbon Army mounts a comeback, Piccolo and Gohan are the only fighters standing in its way.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Asian Future section, a competitive strand for first, second or third features from emerging directors across Asia and the Middle East, is also accepting entries.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The personal is accepting, which was a complete note of surprise.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The plan calls for converting city buses to electric by 2028 and installing 120,000 EV chargers.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The facility is the first of its kind in North America, converting spodumene ore directly into battery-grade lithium hydroxide.—
John Pacenti,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Documentarian Tim Gray has found AI useful in filling in the visual gaps in his World War II films, and Rhode Island courts are using facial recognition and AI to monitor people, raising civil liberties concerns about how the data collected is being used.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
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Tampa Bay is 0-4 in the four starts made by pitchers filling in for the rotation.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On top of that, commercial values dropped last year, as did apartment values, leaving homeowners shouldering more of the cost of running the city.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The 37-year-old is aging like fine wine, averaging nearly 26 points per game for the Houston Rockets while shouldering one of the heaviest minutes loads in the league.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20over. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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