TOOK UP Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

took up

verb

Definition of took up next

past tense of take up

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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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 took up Six took up redistricting voluntarily, one was required to by its state constitution and another did so under court order. —

David A. Lieb, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026 Despite the focus on the Middle East, the leaders took up major regional flash points, including the South China Sea territorial disputes involving Beijing, a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. —

Jim Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026 The board took up Chapman’s previous offer to reduce her hours and forgo her benefits next year. —

Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026 The Supreme Judicial Court took up the case, and is now weighing the lawsuit after hearing arguments from both sides last month. —

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026 Though the back-and-forth between council, city staff and developers took up much of the hearing, over a dozen citizens chimed in. —

Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 1 May 2026 The officer — whose name has not been released — and his horse quickly took up the chase that was captured on his bodycam and also by a television news crew that happened to be in the area for an unrelated story. —

ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026 Hickey walks to support 7-year-old Lucy Dina Hickey took up an extra journey from Suffolk County's Wading River to Staten Island to support 7-year-old Lucy Dina. —

Jennifer Bisram, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026 The court took up the issue at Wednesday’s hearing. —

Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

Then four kills from Fuerbringer, blocks from Miles Crotty and Colby Grahm and a kill from Crotty lifted Mira Costa to a 19-10 lead.

— Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
The sewage would then be ground up by a pump inside the sump and lifted up 8 feet or so to dump into the elevated building drain.

— Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026