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
Last but certainly not least, Nate Diaz taking on Mike Perry.
—
Lukas Weese, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Grab a handheld vacuum with a brush attachment (most models will feature one) to save yourself some sweat when taking on the task.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 10 May 2026
Piekarczyk noted that documentary filmmakers have faced backlash for taking on political subject matter.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 May 2026
One said she’s been considering taking on a second job for the better part of three years.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2026
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
The two candidates, who have been leading Republicans in previous polling, spend much of their political capital taking on one another in hopes of avoiding a runoff race.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
But Fuqua’s Hannibal is recognizably Black—an African insurgent taking on a European empire.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The governor has rightly made reining in this out-of-control enterprise a top priority in the state budget talks, taking on one of Albany’s most entrenched special interests — the trial lawyers — with the goal of lowering insurance costs for New Yorkers.
—Ike Brannon, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Lukas Weese, New York Times, 10 May 2026
Grab a handheld vacuum with a brush attachment (most models will feature one) to save yourself some sweat when taking on the task.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 10 May 2026
Piekarczyk noted that documentary filmmakers have faced backlash for taking on political subject matter.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 10 May 2026
One said she’s been considering taking on a second job for the better part of three years.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2026
Giuliani was elected New York’s mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.
—Michael R. Sisak, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
The two candidates, who have been leading Republicans in previous polling, spend much of their political capital taking on one another in hopes of avoiding a runoff race.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
But Fuqua’s Hannibal is recognizably Black—an African insurgent taking on a European empire.
—Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
The governor has rightly made reining in this out-of-control enterprise a top priority in the state budget talks, taking on one of Albany’s most entrenched special interests — the trial lawyers — with the goal of lowering insurance costs for New Yorkers.
—Ike Brannon, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking on
Verb
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Brown is still building up his pitch count with his transition from the bullpen to the rotation, requiring high efficiency facing Major League Baseball’s best offense to give them that many outs.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
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Kubiak has experience going against the group in practices last season, but facing his former boss in Mike MacDonald will be a tall task.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
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At a raucous commission meeting Tuesday, City Manager Rickelle Williams faced a storm of withering accusations in her initial job evaluation — mostly from Mayor Dean Trantalis, who eagerly supported hiring Williams last year but now scorns her in public.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
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Last year, Scott clashed with Wyrick over the hiring process for a new city manager to replace Moore, who died in October 2023.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The risk is not borrowing costs but bad loans to zombie firms.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
That said, home equity loan interest rates are fixed and won't change even if the rate climate does, which could be favorable for those concerned about borrowing against their home equity (the home functions as collateral).—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Your connections are under a microscope, but clarity arrives around who’s meeting you halfway and who’s just enjoying access to you.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
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The interest rate climate is high and static right now, with another Federal Reserve meeting not even scheduled again until June.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Militant Islamist groups, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS, have demonstrated increasing sophistication in their use of UAVs, employing them not only for reconnaissance but also for complex attack operations.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
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However, a different metric from ADP that tracks slightly larger businesses (those employing between one and 19 people) finds an increase of 526,000 jobs last year.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.—
David A. Lieb,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Anyone interested in donating to, fostering or adopting the chihuahuas can visit SMART Flagler's website.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Diaz and her mother were found dead after encountering smoke while trying to escape the blaze through the interior staircase, according to People en Español.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
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Fattkay’s initial plan was to build a team communication alternative after encountering high costs with existing tools.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
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Mack was also charged with recruiting young college students (particularly women) and attempting to persuade other celebrities (such as Beverley Mitchell, Emma Watson and Kelly Clarkson) to join Nxivm.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
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After the unremarkable Chip Kelly recruiting era, which begat a slight bump under DeShaun Foster, what first-year coach Bob Chesney has done, before coaching a game, has been downright remarkable.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20on. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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