took on

past tense of take on

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 took on Ball was joined on the bench in street clothes by Collin Sexton, who sat out with a neck strain when the Hornets took on the Heat in East Group C action at Kasaya Center on Friday night. Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025 That is certainly true for series star Robert Englund, who took on the role of Freddy Krueger. James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025 In 2003, Matthew Broderick took on the role of Harold Hill for a television movie adaptation. Alexis Mikulski Ruiz, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025 The concept dates back centuries but took on a new life in the twentieth, when Russian theosophist couple Nicholas and Helena Roerich led an expedition in the 1920s to find Shambhala in the Altai Mountains. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025 After his passing, Mango’s chief executive officer Roni Ruiz took on the role of chairman of the board. Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025 Sauk County in 2025 took on the responsiblity for and covered some operational tasks that UW-Platteville had previously covered, such as snow-shoveling and lawn-mowing. Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025 For television, Eggar starred opposite Yul Brynner in a 1972 CBS adaptation of The King and I and took on the role of the manipulative Phyllis Dietrichson, famously played by Barbara Stanwyck on the big screen, in a 1973 ABC remake of Double Indemnity. Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025 This is how an international football fixture already meaningful on the pitch for Norway took on a geopolitical significance. Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took on
Verb
  • Air Mail’s fate shows that even the masters of the old form faced major headwinds when trying to navigate the new media landscape.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • As Ella tries to find her way home, she's faced with the shock of modern technology.
    Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The report, which was first covered by the Washington Post, looked at the top 25 employers in each state that employed the most SNAP and Medicaid recipients.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Lillig is no longer employed in either of those roles.
    Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • To further enrage Predator purists, Thia and Dek adopt a cuddly little monkey-ish creature as their companion, a CGI bit of whimsy seemingly borrowed from Pixar.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The name of the Sabalenka-Kyrgios exhibition was borrowed from the 1973 match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Determined to stop the anti-imperial policies of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, British and French representatives met with Israeli officials in October 1956 to forge a secret agreement for a coordinated offensive against Egypt.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The leaders of the world's biggest economies met at the airport in Busan, an hour's drive away from the APEC host city of Gyeongju, for just an hour and 40 minutes.
    Se Eun Gong, NPR, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Since their interim general manager listened to offers for All-Star pitcher MacKenzie Gore around the trade deadline, the Washington Nationals hired a 35-year-old president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, to oversee their prolonged rebuild.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Liberty Hall hired Houlihan to raise the capital for a classic direct that closed earlier this year.
    Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Arlene adopted Aileen in 1991 Arlene and her husband, Robert, adopted Aileen in 1991, after she was arrested and incarcerated.
    Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
  • It was officially adopted with a two-thirds vote requirement in 1917.
    George Petras, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Deputies encountered the suspect, who was holding a knife and refusing to let go of the child.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Like van Gogh, Jobs encountered Shakespeare outside the classroom.
    Big Think, Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Auburn's pipeline is filled with plenty of talent waiting to be recruited, and the school has a substantial amount of resources to compete in the modern transfer portal, as well.
    Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • He was recruited to join the agency over the summer after meeting with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Took on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20on. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

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