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
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
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
-
But that could change soon as the Bank of Japan has been hiking rates while hotter inflation has lifted Japanese government bond yields, which are now looking more attractive and emerging as an alternative to Treasury bonds.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
-
The Red Sea fest and market held in city of Jeddah, on the Red Sea’s eastern shore, was established in 2019, with its inaugural edition taking place in 2020, two years after Saudi Arabia lifted its 35-year ban on commercial movie theaters.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Harry Styles bravely drank from a sneaker during an Australian concert in 2023.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
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The mother and daughter often drank and used marijuana together, investigators found, and communicated almost daily about drinking alcohol.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The email also borrowed Amazon's familiar look.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
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On the other hand, other Americans, farmers especially, had borrowed money to grow more food and to build more factory goods.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Lenny, who was born and raised on Maui, caught his first wave at Cove Park in Kihei at age four, was windsurfing by age six, and was tackling giant waves in his teens.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Filings show that between January and March, Schmidt raised about $177,000.—
Matthew Kelly
Updated June 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
What likely happened, the team explains, is that the planet spiraled inwards towards the star, became orbitally unstable, and was eventually absorbed.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
-
Renwick’s belief that athleticwear designers were for too long a time absorbed in making men’s lives easier — and efforts to reverse this pattern by turning its gaze towards women — completely revolutionized the industry, which is why the brand is a no-brainer addition to this article.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The company also faces stiff competition from Anthropic and OpenAI, whose chatbots have been more widely adopted by consumers and enterprise customers than xAI’s Grok.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 June 2026
-
Reisberg had never adopted a dog before.—
Jen Reeder,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
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With geopolitical tensions elevated, a high oil price and long-term interest rate projections uncertain now, many may be understandably contemplating a savings strategy shift.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
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Instead, experts say screwworm cases will likely keep existing prices elevated for grocery shoppers.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Considering the associated thefts from libraries in this story, provenance—the history of the ownership of the item in question—may also get swallowed by all the hot money.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
8 June 2026
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Andy was unfamiliar with the sports world and worried that his son would get swallowed up in it.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Took up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20up. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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