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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 In 1979, Jean-Louis Palladin arrived in Washington from Gascony, France, took up residence in the kitchen of the Watergate Hotel and proceeded to embarrass every serious cook in America. —

Bart Hutchins, Washington Post, 12 June 2026 On June 9, 1846, American immigrants near Sonoma took up arms and captured a number of members of the Mexican military and their horses. —

Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 12 June 2026 Ultimately, Manzo was assassinated in November 2025 and his wife, Grecia Quiroz, took up the mantle as Uruapan’s political head. —

Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026 Six took up redistricting voluntarily, one was required to by its state constitution and another did so under court order. —

David A. Lieb, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026 The board took up Chapman’s previous offer to reduce her hours and forgo her benefits next year. —

Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026 The Supreme Judicial Court took up the case, and is now weighing the lawsuit after hearing arguments from both sides last month. —

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026 Though the back-and-forth between council, city staff and developers took up much of the hearing, over a dozen citizens chimed in. —

Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 1 May 2026 The officer — whose name has not been released — and his horse quickly took up the chase that was captured on his bodycam and also by a television news crew that happened to be in the area for an unrelated story. —

ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

And then seven minutes in, the whole thing lifted like a pressure cooker releasing the steam.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 June 2026
The hospital lifted its lockdown later that morning.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 13 June 2026