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
-
Pirovano's 100 race points lifted her atop the downhill standings, 36 ahead of Vonn who was pursuing a remarkable ninth career season-long downhill title at age 41.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
More than 300 hopefuls all stretched, leaped, and lifted during the open tryouts inside Merritt Clubs Downtown Athletic Club— hoping to make the cut.—
Janay Reece,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
2 Mar. 2026
-
This is where Wyatt and Virgil Earp and Doc Holliday once drank.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Powered by a processor borrowed from a previous-generation iPhone, it's meant for people who mostly get things done in their browser and with basic productivity apps, sort of like a Chromebook.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Mar. 2026
-
There are elements borrowed from B-movie horror flicks, crime dramas, Broadway musicals and love stories, mashed together in bold and bizarre strokes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The family soon moved to the Southern California city of El Monte, where Joe McDonald was raised.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Gardner, who was born and raised in Detroit, totaled four points, five rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes against his hometown team.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Day, a bridge engineer who moved to the area from England in 1998, has absorbed the part that the bridge played in his in-laws’ history.—
Julia Buckley,
CNN Money,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Some businesses absorbed the tariffs, at least initially, cutting into margins to avoid sudden price hikes.—
Sara Albrecht,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If the memorial is passed by the Idaho Senate, it will be adopted and sent to Congress.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Mar. 2026
-
In the last two years, half a dozen states have adopted bills to switch to permanent standard time in one legislative chamber, including Virginia in February.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The time and attention to detail afforded it by Lord and Miller suggest that the directors are as susceptible as any of us to that amazement, elevated by the moving solemnity and celestial dimensions of Daniel Pemberton’s beautiful score.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Energy producers in the Middle East are yet to resume production full-scale and shipping costs are likely to be elevated for a while.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like fire swallowed setting everything alight inside.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Phillipsburg declared a state of emergency last month when a sinkhole swallowed a dump truck.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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