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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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 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 Officials did not give a breakdown of how many were deported and how many took up offers of voluntary repatriation. — Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 Chekhov took up position beside a section of the wall still standing, keeping well within its shadow. — Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

In the final of the 2014 edition, Germany lifted its fourth title after a 1-0 extra-time win against Lionel Messi's Argentina.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Evacuation orders have been lifted for a wildfire that ignited east of Mountain Ranch in Calaveras County on Thursday, officials said.

— Brandon Downs, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of lifted

Verb

Her father drank apple juice, romped in the garden, and remembers his time in Madras fondly.

— Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
On the west coast of Mexico, Michael Giardina, a Navy veteran, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and drank tea made with ground up psychedelic mushrooms.

— Will Croxton, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of drank

Verb

Housing wealth is a large part of that disconnect as decades of appreciation left many older homeowners sitting on valuable properties without the home equity itself materializing as income, unless it’s sold or borrowed against.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Abdeen guessed that they were drawn to the familiar symbols that the Masons borrowed from what the French had dubbed the Orient, such as the tarboosh, a brimless and tasselled hat.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of borrowed

Verb

That sentiment illustrates a central tension raised by many of the actors who shared their stories with CNN.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers in Tunisia since the EU agreement, including reports of collective expulsions, racial violence, arbitrary detention and abuses against Black migrants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of raised

Verb

If the dollar retained roughly its present purchasing power, a quadrillion-dollar valuation would mean bitcoin had absorbed a significant portion of global capital.

— Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Charter took over the two channels in 2016, when the company absorbed Time Warner Cable.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of absorbed

Verb

Since that moment, local officials have adopted a number of changes including a new fare enforcement program to improve security and a new fare policy to streamline the ticketing process.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 22 Aug. 2026
Because it is intended to work with existing production processes, the technology could potentially be adopted without requiring an entirely new battery manufacturing ecosystem.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026