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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of took up
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
The girls started coming when the Neelemans took up farming in 2017.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
The dogs took up the scent at once.
—Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Martinez’s attorneys took up the battle to get evidence released in early January following the killing of Renee Good by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis under circumstances eerily similar to Martinez’s shooting.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
But FOToS took up the most oxygen last year; its author, a two-time winner here, certainly will earn his third.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The 49ers took up residence in Santa Clara in 1988 after moving from Redwood City, with Levi’s Stadium to follow on site in 2014.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
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
The girls started coming when the Neelemans took up farming in 2017.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
The dogs took up the scent at once.
—Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Martinez’s attorneys took up the battle to get evidence released in early January following the killing of Renee Good by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis under circumstances eerily similar to Martinez’s shooting.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
But FOToS took up the most oxygen last year; its author, a two-time winner here, certainly will earn his third.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2026
The 49ers took up residence in Santa Clara in 1988 after moving from Redwood City, with Levi’s Stadium to follow on site in 2014.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up
Verb
-
From Florida's Key West to Puget Sound in Washington, America watched and hoped together as the Artemis II astronauts lifted off, splashed down, and touched the nation from a quarter million miles away.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
-
So, Carson lifted the ban on Chase.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Lehman admitted in earlier testimony the pair drank and did some drugs, including marijuana, earlier that evening.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Participants drank soda and ate cookies while listening to Dropkick Murphys, a Boston punk band that Platner likes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The story is Jimmy Page borrowed money from his parents to get these pressed.—
Steve Metsch,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Osier said patrons at his library borrowed 6,683 items from other libraries in 2025, about twice the number of books patrons from other towns borrowed from Willington.—
Nicole Caruso,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Since then, prices for many games have been raised further, sparking widespread outrage.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
To this, the stoic Bednar raised an uncharacteristic (and bruised) eyebrow.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stoners are no longer useful as a comedy device, while pot’s countercultural meaning has dissipated as it’s been absorbed into the mainstream.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Uncover and bake for another 12 to 16 minutes, until the orzo is tender, has absorbed most of the stock, and the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant read thermometer.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Baseball already has adopted three-game-series, with the possibility of Saturday doubleheaders in regional play.—
Buddy Collings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Some gravitate toward the traditional Latin Mass, while others lean toward the Novus Ordo, the format for Mass widely adopted after Vatican II.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This top may look simple, but it’s elevated with darling ruffle accents around the sleeves and hem to set it apart from your average blouse.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
21 Apr. 2026
-
This unofficial wartime arrangement, which has elevated certain Iranian officials to positions of leadership, has left even the regime’s most loyal supporters confused over who is making decisions.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Last year, many of her chile plants were swallowed whole when a reservoir nearby (which the farmers use to harvest rainwater) flooded its banks during the monsoons.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
-
And the crocodile that swallowed one of his microphones.—
Heather Abbott,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20up. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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