Synonyms of took up

took up

verb

past tense of take up

1

as in lifted

to move from a lower to a higher place or position

please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lifted
• raised
• elevated
• uplifted
• hoisted
• upheld
• boosted
• picked up
• heightened
• hiked
• upped
• heaved
• mounted
• hefted
• ascended
• perked (up)
• rose
• jacked (up)
• craned
• upraised
• reared
• upended

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dropped
• fell
• lowered
• slipped
• pushed
• descended
• pressed
• bore
• depressed
• plunged
• dipped
• pitched
• sank
• submerged

2

as in drank

to take in (something liquid) through small openings

the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drank
• absorbed
• swallowed
• sucked (up)
• soaked (up)
• sipped
• imbibed
• sponged
• gulped
• swigged
• guzzled
• slurped
• quaffed
• swilled

3

as in borrowed

to take for one's own use (something originated by another)

one cluster of fans started chanting the team name of the champions, and the crowd quickly took up the cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• borrowed
• adopted
• embraced
• took on
• took over
• espoused
• cultivated
• followed
• assimilated
• picked up on
• used
• utilized
• incorporated
• copied
• appropriated
• honored
• imitated
• quoted
• usurped
• brought up
• absorbed
• cherished
• naturalized
• domesticated
• treasured
• affected
• prized
• raised
• put on
• heeded
• simulated
• pretended
• fostered
• assumed
• arrogated
• nurtured
• reared

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gave up
• abandoned
• relinquished
• surrendered
• forsook
• rejected
• disowned
• abjured
• renounced
• spurned
• threw away
• repudiated
• threw out
• discarded
• abnegated
• jettisoned
• junked

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of took up

Neither the House nor the Senate took up the bill, despite Democrats holding a supermajority in both chambers. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Several militants took up positions inside the complex, and a shootout with security officers ensued, said police official Mohammad Sadiq. — Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026

Penalties and a 10-minute, 32-second drive from the Trojans took up most of the first quarter. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

About a year ago, Buckmaster took up Córdoba and Martínez-Zoroa’s approach, working with Alpöge and using LLMs from OpenAI’s rival company Anthropic to parse through the mathematical possibilities. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026

İnönü, resisting advice from military leaders to ignore the result, resigned from the presidency and took up a new role as the leader of the opposition in the parliament. — Nick Taborall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026

Trump has long talked about his survival as divinely guided, a theme Vance took up. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Sliman took up clay and hay mixtures used in village open-air ovens. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Here was an opportunity to be bold and imaginative but only a few clubs, such as Huddersfield Town (again, more on them later), took up the challenge. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026