TOOK ON Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

took on

verb

past tense of take on

as in faced

to enter into contest or conflict with will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in employed

to provide with a paying job decided to take her on as store manager

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in borrowed

to take for one's own use (something originated by another) recently arrived immigrants who are eager to take on the language and culture of their adopted homeland

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of took on In his early films, Greene observed individuals who took on different, sometimes contradictory roles in their lives. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026 The star of ‘Ripley’ and ‘All of Us Strangers’ star steps up in a performance of emotional depth as Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor who took on Hamlet at the end of his life. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 As Kierny admonished both sides to follow the court’s rules, Davis took on prosecutor Michael DiGiacomo directly. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 In making the deals, the Twins uncharacteristically took on payroll, paying the entirety of the roughly $5 million combined owed to Minter and Kremer. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Yungblud easily took on the song’s euphoric verses as Corgan accompanied on guitar, both clad in all-black, from the four-time-platinum LP. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2026 Jefferson took on the role of writing the first draft of the declaration. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026 Ament didn’t quite reach his offensive potential at Tennessee, but this is not dissimilar to the gamble the Bucks once took on a young Antetokounmpo. — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 24 June 2026 Influencer Gabriela Moura made her World Cup debut on Saturday as her home country of Brazil took on Morocco. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took on

Verb

That progression is important because solid-state batteries have faced a difficult transition from promising laboratory cells to reliable, high-volume manufacturing.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
The psychological thriller, which Zeller wrote, produced and directed, follows the emotional and moral challenges faced by a couple in an increasingly uncertain world.

— Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of faced

Verb

The Dispatch reported that an EMCC Athletics representative would not confirm whether Stephens remains employed by the school in another capacity.

— Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Chicago police employed 1,102 total detectives as of May 2023, and 1,163 as of last week.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of employed

Verb

Historically, the Grand Sport has borrowed its design characteristics from the range-topping Z06, and that’s no different this time around.

— Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026
Evolutionary biologists later borrowed the line to describe arms races between competing species.

— Mark Lewis, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of borrowed

Verb

But on Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court ordered the state to use a different map adopted in 2022 for the imminent 2026 general election.

— Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
In North Carolina, where the G20 meeting in Chapel Hill took place, dozens of local governments have adopted moratoriums or tighter zoning rules as data center proposals spread across the state.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of adopted

Verb

On September 9, 1947, the Harvard Mark II, one of the earliest computers, encountered a bug.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026
Officers who responded to a shoplifting call encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and going into a vehicle, according to bureau.

— Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of encountered

Verb

Environmental regulators recruited 14 universities, nonprofits, aquariums and laboratories to focus on different pieces of the project, from genetic research and reef monitoring to coral breeding and outplanting.

— Nicolás Rivero, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
But to a teenager being recruited by a fleet of big-name programs, the flash mattered more than the function.

— Matt Baker, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026