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
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
Week 6 begins with the Eagles taking on the Giants.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Week 6 begins with the Eagles taking on the Giants.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking on
Verb
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Pakko acknowledged the challenges row-crop farmers are facing and how that contributed to his predictions for the overall Arkansas economy.—
Sydney Sasser,
Arkansas Online,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Bank of America’s virtual financial assistant, Erica, is at the forefront of the bank’s client-facing technology.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Corporations were hiring social scientists to cultivate conformity in their workers.—
David Merritt Johns,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Higher rates reduce investment, spending, and economic activity, which naturally suppresses hiring.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Gelinas points out that the MTA pledges future bus fares to bond holders as a condition of borrowing money.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The committee also approved borrowing $8 million for the Fire Department's aging equipment and requested a plan to add a farebox to The Hop streetcar.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While House Republicans can pass legislation with a simple majority vote, Senate Republicans cannot advance most matters without meeting a 60-vote threshold.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
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However, before Eleven Labs even had a concrete product, Reina, who was working at Palantir Technologies at the time, decided to take a chance on the firm after meeting Staniszewski.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Their €510million wage bill from 2024-25 only trailed PSG and Manchester City in Europe, based on most recent figures, though that number includes the hefty cost of Barca employing players of various other sports as well as huge off-field staffing levels.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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But employing one of those top-tier signal callers does not seem to be a prerequisite for contention.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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They were married in 1968, with Miguel Bezos adopting her young son, and had two more kids, Christina and Mark.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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The minute-long teaser is heavy on performance footage, with Jaafar Jackson adopting the famous outfits and dance moves that made his uncle famous.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When the eye looks symmetrical, that often means the storm is not encountering anything to weaken it.—
William B. Davis,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Directed by Naohito Takahashi, the 25-episode run of Berserk takes on some of the manga’s most memorably chapters — from the introduction of its gruff, greatsword-swinging antihero Guts and his warrior comrades in the Band of the Hawk to their ultimate fate upon encountering a massive demon army.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Most of Ukraine’s Donbas region, where the 17 were said to be trapped, is under Russian military control, and Moscow has been accused in the past by developing countries of recruiting their citizens to fight on its behalf under false pretenses.—
Reuters 16 hr ago,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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He is known for calling a potent offense at every stop and recruiting successfully in a way that reaches younger generations.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taking on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20on. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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