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 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 Chekhov took up position beside a section of the wall still standing, keeping well within its shadow. — Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

Sauer added, warning of potential confusion if the order is not lifted.

— Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2026
From the moment the shutters were lifted, at noon, until they were pulled down, at ten, there were men outside.

— Akhil Sharma, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of lifted

Verb

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
During pre-production, the group drank margaritas in Elassal’s hotel room, went on weekend outings to hockey games, even shared their biggest secrets.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 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

Lomonaco and the restaurant’s owners formed Windows of Hope, a charitable foundation that raised more than $22 million to pay for healthcare and tuition costs for the children of the victims.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Home built in phases A larger house came after the cabin, where Roebbelen and his wife, Kimberly, raised their three children.

— David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 5 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