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
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Recent Examples of taking out
In response, Israel has ordered some 300,000 residents of Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut to flee, taking out building after building.
—
CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Weigh the tradeoffs before taking out a loan against your retirement savings.
—ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026
But eliminating things and fully taking out a capability is really challenging without putting people there on the ground.
—NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Three years later, Williams became the first Black woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to hoist Wimbledon's Venus Rosewater Dish after taking out defending champion Lindsay Davenport.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
Of course, taking out a drug lord is not a bad thing.
—Angélica Durán-Martínez, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
As Zelensky spoke, video footage played on the wall behind him showing new Ukrainian technology taking out Russian drones – harsh reality contrasting with the policy wonkery in the room.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
In the visual, the actor and musician eye each other across a dance floor, then bust out laser guns and start shooting (taking out a few unicorns in the process), before Kesha reigns victorious.
—Anna Chan, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
And people-proofing cars has proven harder than anyone might have imagined when Chicagoans were taking out their Model T’s for Sunday drives on the Mother Road.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
Weigh the tradeoffs before taking out a loan against your retirement savings.
—ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026
But eliminating things and fully taking out a capability is really challenging without putting people there on the ground.
—NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
Three years later, Williams became the first Black woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to hoist Wimbledon's Venus Rosewater Dish after taking out defending champion Lindsay Davenport.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 1 Mar. 2026
Of course, taking out a drug lord is not a bad thing.
—Angélica Durán-Martínez, The Conversation, 24 Feb. 2026
As Zelensky spoke, video footage played on the wall behind him showing new Ukrainian technology taking out Russian drones – harsh reality contrasting with the policy wonkery in the room.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
In the visual, the actor and musician eye each other across a dance floor, then bust out laser guns and start shooting (taking out a few unicorns in the process), before Kesha reigns victorious.
—Anna Chan, Billboard, 11 Feb. 2026
And people-proofing cars has proven harder than anyone might have imagined when Chicagoans were taking out their Model T’s for Sunday drives on the Mother Road.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking out
Verb
-
The Sheriff’s Office committed to removing tie-off points from its jails but has not yet completed those renovations.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
-
In the new year, Musk welcomed Hegseth to a meeting at SpaceX headquarters, where Hegseth unveiled a new partnership with Grok, which lately had been spending most of its time removing the clothes of women and children in photographs.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Mehdi Razavi, 48, of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, and Arezou Soltani, 45, of North Vancouver, British Columbia, were arrested in suspicion of murdering a former university math instructor and critic of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, police in Canada said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Kouri Richins, a Utah mother accused of murdering her husband and later publishing a children's book about grief, has been found guilty on all charges by a jury in Utah.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Stray Kids last dropped music in November, unleashing EP Do It and debuting atop the Billboard 200.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The combination of Barbra Banda, Jacquie Ovalle and Marta is exciting enough on paper, and Hines is looking forward to unleashing that attack on the rest of the league.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The girl has been accompanying her father at numerous high-profile events such as missile tests and military parades since late 2022, stoking outside speculation that she’s being groomed as his heir.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
-
More than a decade ago, Santa Clara County in Northern California figured out that the biggest expense accompanying a large homeless population wasn’t a social service or police patrol, but health care.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Consider withdrawing $150,000 to buy the land then, wait to pull the next $150,000 in the next year.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Spurs imploded away to Atletico, also losing 5-2 and withdrawing their goalkeeper after going three down in 15 minutes.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors described Glean in a sentencing letter as a rival gang member who hunted Thompson, intent on assassinating him.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Four years ago, a man was arrested outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh with the intention of assassinating him.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The county is not releasing age, gender or state-of-origin information on the person who visited the Sharp Memorial ER, citing privacy concerns.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Footage filmed by The Associated Press showed at least one missile releasing a cluster of munitions over Israel.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Commit to putting away only the laundry, say, not cleaning the entire room.—
Julianna Chen,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Declutter by putting away items that collect there throughout the week, like mail, packages of food, keys, or extra dishes.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20out. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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