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
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 taking over
Belichick also was one of the game's top defensive assistants before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
—
CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
First, there’s La Réserve Firenze, which is taking over a 15th-century palace in the city’s ever-buzzy Oltrarno district, just a few minutes’ walk from the centre, but mercifully removed from the high summer tourist scrum.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Bieniemy is expected to speak with local Kansas City media about taking over as offensive coordinator sometime this week.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
Under the Netflix plan, the split would still happen within the next six to nine months, prior to Netflix taking over the studio and streaming side of the media giant.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
Back in 1999, Edelman was on the cusp of taking over the PR firm founded by his father Daniel.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Since taking over as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee in 2019, her ballot measure committee has taken at least $193,000 from industry players, including Allstate, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Hard-throwing lefty reliever José Alvarado appeared to be taking over the full-time closer role early in the year, but in May, he got hit with an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Why some troops can't just get fitter Pete Hegseth has made fitness standards a major focus since taking over the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
First, there’s La Réserve Firenze, which is taking over a 15th-century palace in the city’s ever-buzzy Oltrarno district, just a few minutes’ walk from the centre, but mercifully removed from the high summer tourist scrum.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Bieniemy is expected to speak with local Kansas City media about taking over as offensive coordinator sometime this week.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026
Under the Netflix plan, the split would still happen within the next six to nine months, prior to Netflix taking over the studio and streaming side of the media giant.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
Back in 1999, Edelman was on the cusp of taking over the PR firm founded by his father Daniel.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Since taking over as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee in 2019, her ballot measure committee has taken at least $193,000 from industry players, including Allstate, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Hard-throwing lefty reliever José Alvarado appeared to be taking over the full-time closer role early in the year, but in May, he got hit with an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing drug test.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Why some troops can't just get fitter Pete Hegseth has made fitness standards a major focus since taking over the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking over
Verb
-
Williams was the only starter to play more than 25 minutes as the Aztecs began substituting liberally after just 11 minutes, jumping out to a 32-12 lead thanks to an 18-0 run.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Many online have gone on to add fresh fruits and honey to their creations, as well as substituting Biscoff cookies for other options like graham crackers, cookies and even Oreos.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Shifting the Storytelling Strategy Danielle Krischik, author of The Story Effect, notes that assuming storytelling is just a performance skill is limiting.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The biggest mistake investors make is assuming that patience means inactivity.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But seizing current oil production is one thing; overhauling Venezuela's entire oil industry would be another.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Trump has occasionally discussed seizing Greenland since his first term but few initially took his threats seriously.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Hana’s obsession with her body is standing in the way of more than just feeling good at the gym.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
-
And in the middle of those choices are real people — standing in the cold, waiting for a bus.—
Zeynep Portway,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The court found Kim guilty of accepting bribes from the controversial religious sect Unification Church, including a Chanel bag and a Graff diamond necklace.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Trump, too, downplayed his decision to deploy border czar Tom Homan, who himself is controversial after in 2024 alleging accepting $50,000 in cash from FBI agents pretending to be business executives seeking government, to Minneapolis.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The final challenge is converting willingness to pay into revenue.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Heated Rivalry is not the biggest show on television, but the scale of the book business is such that even a fraction of viewers converting to become readers of the series is enough to shake up book sales.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Miami Dolphins’ new general manager-head coach tandem is in place, and on Friday night, Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley got started on filling in positions around them.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Jan. 2026
-
That’s when Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori, who was filling in for an ill Chris Finch, turned to an unlikely defensive stopper.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bublak says that the decision leaves cities shouldering more responsibility with fewer tools.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
America’s allies in Europe – wary of further Russian aggression, shouldering the burden of backing Ukraine and facing an increasingly hostile world order – have come to the same realization.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20over. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
