took on

Definition of took onnext
past tense of take on

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 on The special game was scheduled for March 16, when the Hawks took on the Orlando Magic in State Farm Arena. Irene Wright, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026 Back then, in the musical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis‘ best-seller — with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik and a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa — Doctor Who star Matt Smith took on New York yuppie and increasingly maniacal investment banker Patrick Bateman. Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026 Ellis took on several pseudonyms over the years, including Three-Six, the Spirit, Big Dotti, and Terror Child. Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026 Faith took on new urgency during covid. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 3 Mar. 2026 The actress met Bingham on the set of Yellowstone in 2020 when Harrison took on the role of Laramie. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 17 Feb. 2026 So Etess increasingly took on more roles at the resort. Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026 Cities took on the atmosphere of graveyards, and mourning black became the dominant color of daily life. Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026 Into the 21st century, Davis took on less film roles and more TV work. Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took on
Verb
  • The underlying case against Comey has faced headwinds from the start.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Republicans have largely stood by the commander in chief, but will soon be faced with more consequential wartime choices.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Jovanovic was employed part-time by the Valparaiso Police Department as a civilian employee as a crossing guard, filling in at different schools as needed, Valparaiso Police said.
    Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Do is serving a five-year federal prison sentence for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes to direct his share of the COVID funds to certain charities, primarily one that employed his daughter, Rhiannon.
    Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Depending on how bad the pest ruined plants in a particular latitude, the farmer either made it financially, or borrowed more from the bank to eat during the winter.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
  • The ring was borrowed from a co-worker, while the other three devices were provided by the companies for testing.
    Brian Cheung, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Sofia is the film director Sofia Coppola, who’s been one of Jacobs’s close friends since the two met, in the early nineties, toward the end of his time at Perry Ellis.
    Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2026
  • More than 1,000 Lebanese have died since militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and was met with a blistering response that caused more than 700,000 to flee their homes.
    Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • When Schertz was hired away from Indiana State by Saint Louis after that season, Avila followed the coach to the Atlantic 10.
    Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Sources have told the Miami Herald that Cantens has been hired as FIU’s new men’s basketball coach.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Mikala grew up taking annual family trips to Austin to visit her grandmother, an Austinite since 1975, and has fully adopted the Texas lifestyle since moving to the Lone Star State in 2018.
    Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
  • In fact, since the gas tax was adopted in 1929, Massachusetts has never suspended the gas tax.
    David Wade, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The most grinding suspicions encountered by many survivors—about whether they were ever really struck at all—may in any case be mooted in the coming years.
    Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
  • And midway up the ascent, Herson encountered an unbelievably challenging crux.
    Frederick Dreier, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Mutiny includes no college grads in dead-end jobs whose grievances have turned them toward MAGA rather than union activism—young men and women recruited by Turning Point USA while still in college.
    George Packer, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
  • But Rooney does have two connections to the university, one of many high-profile institutions that recruited him to play baseball.
    Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Took on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20on. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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