1
as in giving way (to)
to find emotional release for
he took out his frustrations by splitting a cord of firewood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in going out (with)
to go on a social engagement with
she'd like to take the new boy out to the movies sometime
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in removing
to take away from a place or position
the airline passenger took his laptop computer out of its carrying case
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in murdering
to put to death deliberately
the rumor is that the CIA is planning to take him out before he can seize control of the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 out
While Annie seemed like the odd duck out, her closest, idol-holding ally Alex seemed to be considering Sophi as his target, with the goal of taking out his bromance Jake’s other bestie.
—
Nick Caruso, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2025
Why would Alex risk pissing off Jake by taking out his other number one so early?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
But documents reviewed by CNN show that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer did the same — taking out two mortgages in one year, appearing to list both homes as primary residences.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
An acquisition may, at worst, see a larger business, simply taking out a competitor.
—Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In general, airlines try to maximize the number of profitable seats on every flight, and sometimes adding more premium seats means taking out economy seating or reducing the legroom for the cheap seats as well.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Experts, however, are wary that users are taking out too many loans and could become overwhelmed with payments.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
The Razorbacks rocked Alabama A&M 52-7 on Saturday while Arkansas State was taking out Southeast Missouri State 42-24.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2025
One of Mascherano’s biggest decisions was taking a defensive risk by taking out center back Lujan with the team trailing 1-0 and replacing him with Segovia, an attacker.
—Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Nick Caruso, TVLine, 2 Oct. 2025
Why would Alex risk pissing off Jake by taking out his other number one so early?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025
But documents reviewed by CNN show that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer did the same — taking out two mortgages in one year, appearing to list both homes as primary residences.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
An acquisition may, at worst, see a larger business, simply taking out a competitor.
—Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
In general, airlines try to maximize the number of profitable seats on every flight, and sometimes adding more premium seats means taking out economy seating or reducing the legroom for the cheap seats as well.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
Experts, however, are wary that users are taking out too many loans and could become overwhelmed with payments.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
The Razorbacks rocked Alabama A&M 52-7 on Saturday while Arkansas State was taking out Southeast Missouri State 42-24.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2025
One of Mascherano’s biggest decisions was taking a defensive risk by taking out center back Lujan with the team trailing 1-0 and replacing him with Segovia, an attacker.
—Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking out
Verb
-
But the building feels temporary, with United having previously discussed removing it.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
More than 200 bodies are still on the mountain, left there because of the difficulty, risk, and cost of removing them, the database says.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The session proceeded without a live video-feed of the 22-year-old defendant charged with murdering the conservative influencer at a Utah college campus on September 10, alongside counts of felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction, and witness tampering.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Then, in 2024, Gates and Richard James Romano were both charged with murdering Alliauna Green, a rising Oakland rapper who used the stage name Tan DaGod.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The forward’s third was his best of the night, unleashing an unstoppable effort beyond Kalmurza for his fifth Champions League goal in two games after good work by Rodrygo.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
In the other monologue, Ray drunkenly tells a story about unleashing scatological revenge on an abusive priest.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The episode and accompanying fashion show were in support of Kelce’s charity, 87 and Running, which empowers disadvantaged youth by providing resources and support to their communities in the areas of education, business, athletics, STEM, and the arts.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The accompanying video counts down from 2025 to 1995 with a flip-book of performance footage from throughout the years, as well as a compilation of the different fonts used to spell out the band’s name before tossing to a throwback series of shots of the five men from their earliest days together.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, agriculture accounts for nearly 90% of water usage, including withdrawing non-renewable water reserves.—
Nik Kowsar,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Harry has twice sued Associated Newspapers for libel, winning one case and withdrawing the other, while his wife Meghan has also won a privacy lawsuit against the publisher.—
Michael Holden,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Casual killings at point-blank range, vicious motorcycle jackings, tossing someone off a building, assassinating the actual Mark Cuban (playing himself) — this, in the movie, is what the good guys do.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk at a Utah college campus earlier this month, returned to court Monday, sort of.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Taylor Swift is releasing an 89-minute film to theaters this weekend that will include a music video, lyric videos and commentary from her on the new album.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of releasing Guevara, the Board of Immigration Appeals reopened Guevara’s 13-year-old immigration case, which had been closed and authorized him to work in the US.—
Liam Reilly,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Phillies play reliever roulette Righty David Robertson entered when Cristopher Sánchez encountered trouble in the sixth, putting away pinch hitter Max Muncy, a lefty batter.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
And that confidence and identity have carried over into the first two weeks of the season, from putting away a good Houston Texans team in the opener to pulling away from the Tennessee Titans this past weekend after trailing late in the third quarter.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20out. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share