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
Those who aren’t taking over the whole place and enjoy more of a scene can flit over in the island’s speedboat to neighboring Hurawalhi, with its buzzy bar, big gym, and underwater restaurant.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Thomson led Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after taking over for Girardi, losing to the Houston Astros in six games.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
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
With it, new media began taking over the arts’ function of representing reality.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Cushing rejoined the board in 2025, taking over Brandon Wright’s seat after his resignation.
—Ilana Arougheti, 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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Thomson led Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after taking over for Girardi, losing to the Houston Astros in six games.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
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
With it, new media began taking over the arts’ function of representing reality.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Cushing rejoined the board in 2025, taking over Brandon Wright’s seat after his resignation.
—Ilana Arougheti, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking over
Verb
-
These changes were to be achieved by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreasing the consumption of meat and eggs, and substituting nonfat milk for whole milk.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
-
For a smoky kick, try substituting mezcal for the tequila.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With a razor-thin majority, the Speaker can afford to lose only two GOP votes on any party-line bill, assuming that all members are present and Democrats are united in opposition.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s not currently the case with José Caballero, a career utilityman, seizing his shot to start at shortstop over the past few weeks.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
-
Unlike Friday’s Oaks, where Ortiz had Always a Runner near the leaders before taking charge through the final turn and soaring past Meaning for a 1 1/4-length win, seizing the Derby required everything from jockey and mount.—
Gary B. Graves,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Three out of the four teams still standing in the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament are Big West Conference teams.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
-
Totoro standing in profile against a bright cerulean backdrop.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Seizing Opportunity for Operational Success Rather than accepting the state of the industry, Kamboj recognized an opportunity.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Just after accepting a third-option role behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, James was thrust back into the top spot when the star guards were injured April 2.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Increasing the density of housing units would mean converting less farmland and could help the project meet vehicle emissions targets.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
-
For the Urban Redevelopment Authority, every penny counts when converting empty offices into housing.—
Chris Hoffman,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
Kerr took a leave of absence to recover from debilitating complications following two back surgeries, then missed time again in 2017 with Mike Brown filling in as Kerr underwent a procedure to deal with a spinal fluid leak.—
Janie McCauley,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
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The school district said that a substitute teacher would be filling in for Amy during her leave.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
Verb
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While his metrics at even strength haven’t matched the dominance that the LaCombe-Jacob Trouba pairing had, Carlson has been a valuable addition in shouldering the kind of heavy minutes he’s been accustomed to throughout his career.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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They are prepped to run the ball more frequently, or at least run it more effectively, in hopes that this solves the stagnation — rather than personnel shouldering the load.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20over. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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