TOOK UP Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

took up

verb

past tense of take up

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

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as in drank

to take in (something liquid) through small openings the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly

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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

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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 up About a year ago, Buckmaster took up Córdoba and Martínez-Zoroa’s approach, working with Alpöge and using LLMs from OpenAI’s rival company Anthropic to parse through the mathematical possibilities. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 İnönü, resisting advice from military leaders to ignore the result, resigned from the presidency and took up a new role as the leader of the opposition in the parliament. — Nick Taborall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 Trump has long talked about his survival as divinely guided, a theme Vance took up. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Sliman took up clay and hay mixtures used in village open-air ovens. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Here was an opportunity to be bold and imaginative but only a few clubs, such as Huddersfield Town (again, more on them later), took up the challenge. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026 In June, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the first AI tax in history, the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which took up our AI equity tax framework. — Sarah Polcz, Time, 12 Aug. 2026 The faculty admissions board took up a formal review, and this past July, the Board of Regents moved to expedite a decision, which is expected by June 2027. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 DeSantis’ office drafted the proposal lawmakers took up during a special legislative session focused on the property tax proposal. — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

The original design features a floor-length hem, but the actress’s was lifted into a midi-dress silhouette that landed around her heels, fully allowing the Caovilla heels to shine.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Some closures might be lifted earlier to accommodate incoming Orioles traffic.

— Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of lifted

Verb

One study found that participants who drank tea heated to 149 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius) experienced more positive emotional responses, including happiness and satisfaction.

— Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 2 Sep. 2026
For a few days, the horse fed on the same plants and grass and drank from the rainwater collected in a puddle nearby.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of drank

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

From that restaurant Cardoso could look out the window and see sloping hills and Lucas’ Wagyu cows raised there on the farm.

— Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Neighbors cite traffic risks in the area Neighbors said ongoing construction in the area had created a dangerous traffic pattern and raised concerns about children walking to and from school.

— Caroline Foreback, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of raised

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

What remains disputed is whether those beliefs motivated the Tate-LaBianca murders or whether, as Berlinger argues, prosecutors elevated them into the central theory of their case.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
This El Niño event has taken hold at a time when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific were already significantly elevated.

— Denise Chow, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of elevated

Verb

The play was blown up by Ojomo, who spun off the block of Washington center Nick Allegretti and swallowed Bates behind the line of scrimmage.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
The thought of Margaret trapped in the skyscraper, swallowed up by flames and heat, is an overwhelming load for a mother to carry.

— Nicole Avery Nichols, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026