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
To the stranger who was Jesse Jackson To the political class that took up most of his time, Dad was a stranger awaiting a return phone call, reminding the political class of the urgency of the hour.
—
Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 6 Mar. 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
Additionally, the lawsuit claims oil companies began in the 1980s to halt their research on advanced battery chemistries and hybrid electric motors, withheld market-ready hybrid engine prototypes and took up patent litigation to stifle innovators.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 23 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
The band Buffalo Springfield took up residence in the 1960s, and Neil Young returned to the site in the 1970s with his band Crazy Horse, according to reporting from SF Gate.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 6 Mar. 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
Additionally, the lawsuit claims oil companies began in the 1980s to halt their research on advanced battery chemistries and hybrid electric motors, withheld market-ready hybrid engine prototypes and took up patent litigation to stifle innovators.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 23 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
The band Buffalo Springfield took up residence in the 1960s, and Neil Young returned to the site in the 1970s with his band Crazy Horse, according to reporting from SF Gate.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up
Verb
-
Teammates encouraged her and one even lifted her chin, but the damage was done.—
David Brandt,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Minutes later, Malenstyn got to the front and lifted home a rebound.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
People who drank a lot of alcohol in single sittings had more evidence of liver scarring than people who drank the same amount weekly but in smaller amounts spread out over more occasions.—
Emily Kay Votruba,
EverydayHealth.com,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Briany drank 5 ounces at each feeding.—
Jeff Ernsthausen,
ProPublica,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His rhetoric has helped sustain one of the fastest cash burns of any startup in history, relying on partners that have borrowed vast sums.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Every dollar that the government spends is first taxed or borrowed from the private sector.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stephen Curry swished a 3-pointer on his second shot from deep and raised his arms in delight when the ball went through.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
My father had lived an extraordinary life as a young Black man born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, during the 1940s.—
Shayla Martin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pumps pulled seventeen million gallons of stormwater off the streets, and the new blue-and-green infrastructure absorbed runoff to alleviate pressure on the pipes.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
What Makes the Glycinate Form Different Magnesium glycinate is chelated to the amino acid glycine, which improves how efficiently it’s absorbed through the intestinal wall.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
James Robert Conroy of New Britain adopted the dog and named it Stubby for his short tail.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
-
FiberColors builds on the success of Archroma’s EarthColors platform, which has now been adopted by more than 50 global brands resulting over 60 tons of plant residue from the herbal and pharmaceutical industries being recycled.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The evening was elevated by live music from a local country band, complete with a pedal steel guitar, reminiscent of Lee Hazlewood.—
Alexandra Genova,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The relative success of the war elevated the Revolutionary Guard from a small, street-level militia, initially created to protect Khomeini and the other clerics at the forefront of the Islamic Revolution, into the symbolic defenders of the theocracy.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Duke swallowed an olive the size of my head.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
If the design takes New York’s fallback course, the library could be swallowed into a plain brown box.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20up. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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