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
Coach Kellen Moore enters his first year in the head job with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough taking over after former quarterback Derek Carr abruptly retired in the offseason.
—
David Wilson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
We were blown away by the divas taking over pop radio, including Whitney, Mariah, and Celine — VH1 even dedicated a concert series to them.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Suamataia just plain abandoned his technique midway through that game, a form of panic mode taking over.
—Sam McDowell 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025
Today the San Bernardino National Forest Type 3 Team is taking over the fire.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Critics have said taking over Gaza City would further endanger the remaining hostages held by Hamas, entrench the Israeli military even further into the conflict and result in a higher number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Fickell lasted just one season at the helm before handing the wheel to Meyer, who retained Fickell and Vrabel as assistants upon taking over in 2012.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Breslow has now worked out deals to buy out free-agent years for Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Kristian Campbell, Garrett Crochet, and Roman Anthony since taking over the front office before last season.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Skydance veteran Don Granger will lead the film production side, essentially taking over for Ireland among other duties, though Granger’s role hasn’t yet been officially announced.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
David Wilson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
We were blown away by the divas taking over pop radio, including Whitney, Mariah, and Celine — VH1 even dedicated a concert series to them.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Suamataia just plain abandoned his technique midway through that game, a form of panic mode taking over.
—Sam McDowell 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025
Today the San Bernardino National Forest Type 3 Team is taking over the fire.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Critics have said taking over Gaza City would further endanger the remaining hostages held by Hamas, entrench the Israeli military even further into the conflict and result in a higher number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
—Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2025
Fickell lasted just one season at the helm before handing the wheel to Meyer, who retained Fickell and Vrabel as assistants upon taking over in 2012.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Breslow has now worked out deals to buy out free-agent years for Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, Kristian Campbell, Garrett Crochet, and Roman Anthony since taking over the front office before last season.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
Skydance veteran Don Granger will lead the film production side, essentially taking over for Ireland among other duties, though Granger’s role hasn’t yet been officially announced.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking over
Verb
-
When making the switch to a plant-forward diet, Moon advised easing into it with small changes such as adding leafy greens to smoothies, using tofu in a grain bowl, and substituting animal fats for olive oil.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
27 Aug. 2025
-
The value is not in substituting one expert for another, or in outsourcing fully to the machine, or indeed in presuming the human expertise will always be superior, but in leveraging human and rapidly-evolving machine capabilities to achieve best results.—
David Autor,
The Atlantic,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Free as a Bird albums — with Davies assuming the lead vocals and songwriting by himself.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Creating truly inclusive environments means understanding and addressing these disparities, not assuming one-size-fits-all solutions will work.—
Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has stated that its forces are fighting militants on the outskirts of Gaza City, destroying tunnels and militant infrastructure and seizing weapons.—
Emily Rose,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Tel Aviv — The Israeli security cabinet convened on Sunday to review plans for seizing control of Gaza City, as the government faces mounting international pressure and unprecedented domestic opposition, even from Israel’s own security leaders.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Visitors are surprised at first seeing even one sculpture appear out of nowhere standing in the river.—
Jeanine Barone,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This year, Huntsinger wants to avoid the scheduling snafus that led so many loyal badge holders ($780 each) standing in line for hours without seeing the big films.—
Anne Thompson,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But sales have since slowed, and the automaker stopped accepting orders from dealers and customers this July.—
Jackie Charniga,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Gaga started the night by accepting the award for artist of the year.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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CCDs work by detecting photons, and then converting those photons into electrical signals that get recorded by the internal electronics within the camera.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The match in Louis Armstrong Stadium lasted just 56 minutes, with Townsend and Siniaková converting five of their six break points and only dropping six points on their own serves.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Steelers wouldn’t have even been in position for that last touchdown pass if not for a brutal error by Xavier Gipson, filling in at kick returner after Kene Nwangwu left with an injury.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In 2011, the adjustment was mostly about filling in gaps left by missing coworkers.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Who had been shouldering this responsibility of caring for this last individual.—
Maria Reva
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The Iron Claw A24's 2023 sports drama chronicles the real-life saga of the Von Erich brothers, who body-slammed their way into professional wrestling esteem in the 1980s while shouldering multiple family tragedies and the burden of their father's (Holt McCallany) towering legacy in the ring.—
Charlotte Walsh,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20over. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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