TOOK HOLD Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

took hold

phrase

past tense of take hold

as in worked

to produce a desired effect It was clear in the students' essays that her lessons had taken hold.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 hold But as the retrenchment took hold, studies found that the English immersion approach did not improve academic outcomes. — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 As Hogan took hold, A-listers began to discover the brand, known for its ability to bridge fashion and sport. — Katie Abel, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026 But a year later, as the pandemic took hold of the exhibition industry, Cineworld abandoned the movie theater deal to create one of the world’s largest cinema companies. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 While the heaviest fighting in Gaza has subsided since the fragile ceasefire took hold in October, Israel has continued to carry out strikes in the territory, including some overnight and into Tuesday that killed several people. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 The southwest corner of Ground Zero – the name that took hold immediately after the terrorist attacks – where three firefighters raised an American flag atop a mountain of twisted steel and rubble, features trees and a row of Citi Bike rentals. — Thomas E. Franklin, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 Yes, the atrocities occurred before social media took hold, before video streaming, before camera phones became commonplace. — David Friend, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026 Cathy Engelbert, who became the first WNBA commissioner in 2019, inherited the league as this enlightenment took hold. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 As a more scientific understanding of germ theory took hold, the impetus became less medicinal, more practical, then pleasurable. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took hold

took effect

Phrase

While Levine Cava’s reductions on late-night routes survived intact in the budget, commissioners agreed to take up the issue again this fall before the cuts took effect this spring.

— Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
The state experienced a major surge in retirements in the first six months of 2022 as veteran workers scrambled to leave service before new limits on pensions took effect.

— Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026