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
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 over
When taking over Credit Suisse, UBS fully committed to getting the investigation back on track and has since taken extensive steps to facilitate Barofsky’s review, Karofsky said.
—
Reuters, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Another wrinkle is that Harbaugh faces competition for his former Ravens staffers with Monken landing in Cleveland and Jesse Minter taking over in Baltimore.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Harbaugh, who also worked with Reid in Philadelphia, is taking over the Giants after 18 seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
Belichick also was one of the game's top defensive assistants before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
First, there’s La Réserve Firenze, which is taking over a 15th-century palace in the city’s ever-buzzy Oltrarno district, just a few minutes’ walk from the centre, but mercifully removed from the high summer tourist scrum.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Under the Netflix plan, the split would still happen within the next six to nine months, prior to Netflix taking over the studio and streaming side of the media giant.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
Back in 1999, Edelman was on the cusp of taking over the PR firm founded by his father Daniel.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Since taking over as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee in 2019, her ballot measure committee has taken at least $193,000 from industry players, including Allstate, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Reuters, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
Another wrinkle is that Harbaugh faces competition for his former Ravens staffers with Monken landing in Cleveland and Jesse Minter taking over in Baltimore.
—Dan Duggan, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Harbaugh, who also worked with Reid in Philadelphia, is taking over the Giants after 18 seasons as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
Belichick also was one of the game's top defensive assistants before taking over in New England, winning two earlier Super Bowls as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
—CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
First, there’s La Réserve Firenze, which is taking over a 15th-century palace in the city’s ever-buzzy Oltrarno district, just a few minutes’ walk from the centre, but mercifully removed from the high summer tourist scrum.
—Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 27 Jan. 2026
Under the Netflix plan, the split would still happen within the next six to nine months, prior to Netflix taking over the studio and streaming side of the media giant.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
Back in 1999, Edelman was on the cusp of taking over the PR firm founded by his father Daniel.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026
Since taking over as chair of the Senate Insurance Committee in 2019, her ballot measure committee has taken at least $193,000 from industry players, including Allstate, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and the Personal Insurance Federation of California Agents.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking over
Verb
-
Critics such as economist Jeffrey Sachs have warned that the NSS is grounded in grandiosity and Machiavellianism, substituting coercion for cooperation and dominance for legitimacy.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Williams was the only starter to play more than 25 minutes as the Aztecs began substituting liberally after just 11 minutes, jumping out to a 32-12 lead thanks to an 18-0 run.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But that is what happened on Monday, as 18-year-old James Wilson was thrust into the spotlight, assuming an unlikely leading role on transfer deadline day.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Both Iger and his predecessor, Michael Eisner, began their careers in network television and had extensive Hollywood connections before assuming the CEO perch.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
China is seizing an opportunity to challenge American dominance in global finance and exert greater international influence at the expense of the all-powerful US dollar.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Allegations include entering homes without warrants, stopping, intimidating and seizing legal observers, and detaining suspects by virtue of their appearance or accent.—
Yohuru Williams,
The Conversation,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For more than a decade, Harden has been a championship-caliber lead guard standing in his own way of winning a championship.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Unlike Season 1, which was filmed in British Columbia, Canada standing in for Yosemite, Season 2 will be shot in Hawaii where John Wells Prods.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cassilly later began accepting applications from residents interested in serving on the board, which led to Norkaitis’ nomination.—
Matt Hubbard,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Hadis says vendors have recently stopped accepting business cheques and that growing geopolitical tensions are causing sudden shifts in the price of Iran’s currency against the dollar.—
Frederik Pleitgen,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Korean researchers have demonstrated a new method for producing jet fuel by converting landfill gas originating from food waste and manure into liquid fuel.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The princess took advantage of the spacious Kensington Palace home, converting its top floor into a playground for her two young sons.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its provisional birth data late last week, filling in two months of missing data and offering the first good look at last year’s tally.—
Mike Stobbe,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
-
That disappointment disappeared Tuesday when Bennett was named to the team as a late replacement, filling in for Tampa Bay’s injured forward Anthony Cirelli.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bublak says that the decision leaves cities shouldering more responsibility with fewer tools.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
America’s allies in Europe – wary of further Russian aggression, shouldering the burden of backing Ukraine and facing an increasingly hostile world order – have come to the same realization.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20over. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
