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
Ultimately, Manzo was assassinated in November 2025 and his wife, Grecia Quiroz, took up the mantle as Uruapan’s political head.
—
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
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
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
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
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
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
-
With one out in the fourth inning, Trea Turner lifted a fly ball into the gap between Tucker and center fielder Andy Pages.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Ureña threw a 1-and-0 sinker over the middle and Diaz lifted it to the opposite field, just over the right field fence.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
At the parties, both boys and girls drank excessively, often leading to vomiting.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
Specifically, that time Lestat drank Jesus Christ’s blood.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
Other states also borrowed money to keep benefits flowing during the pandemic, and all but California have repaid their loans.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
Whether stolen, borrowed, or bought, public trash cans from various cities—New York, Berlin, Rome, and Bolzano—are sparsely distributed across the hall.—
Erika Landström,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Might a generation raised on social media, a force often credited with hastening the death of theatrical moviegoing, instead prove to be its salvation?—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
-
Further negotiations between Israel and Lebanon scheduled this week in Washington raised speculation that the two sides could reach a new ceasefire, which Iran has demanded as a precondition of any broader diplomatic settlement with the US.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The area The main point of being here is to be absorbed in the mirage-like, placid beauty of the lake.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
And yes, that sound will dissipate and soon will be too faint for my human ears as it is absorbed into space, but Renee Gladman writes that spaces moan.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Late Friday, however, state officials adopted a new structure for the emissions program, called cap-and-invest, that analysts say will likely reduce wildfire mitigation funding by $200 million per year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Dinner service is prompt and attentive in either venue, but is notably elevated at the chef’s table.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
Long before artificial intelligence became a household name, Californians elevated the world’s most famous sentient robot — or rather the actor who played it — to the state’s highest office.—
Kate Andrews,
Washington Post,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Brith has swallowed her father’s ring.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
Maddy began managing some of Alamo’s strippers, bringing her into the same underworld that had already swallowed Rue; Cassie moved into Lexi’s apartment complex, auditioned for a role on her show and slept with its heartthrob star.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20up. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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