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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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

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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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

These from Kenneth Cole have a square-toe silhouette and slightly lifted sole.

— Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 16 July 2026
Noe’s wife lifted the smaller children onto the table; the larger ones got themselves up on cupboards.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Definition of lifted

Verb

Three years later, censured by his Senate colleagues, ostracized by his party, and ignored by the press, McCarthy drank himself to death, a broken man at the age of 48.

— Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 10 July 2026
On the day of the murders, he was said to have drank more than a quart of vodka.

— Dan Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 July 2026

Definition of drank

Verb

Other excursions, such as walking tours with knowledgeable local guides and active pursuits like kayaking and snorkeling, are also available—though many guests simply wandered on their own or borrowed snorkeling gear from the ship.

— Jane Wooldridge, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
That number was still a pipe dream weeks later when, as the story goes, Mary Kay borrowed twelve dollars to hightail it to Dallas for a Stanley sales rally.

— Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

Definition of borrowed

Verb

The core interest aside from this being the final of a six-week long competition that only happens every four years is the country of Messi’s birth taking on the country that raised him.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 19 July 2026
And that made his recent comments about former Blue Jays coach Don Mattingly especially noteworthy, as his departure for the Philadelphia Phillies has raised questions about whether the Blue Jays batting order can succeed without him.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of raised

Verb

On top of that, cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, can be elevated during perimenopause.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026
The sandwich was herby and summery — a refreshing bite with the slightly acidic note of Morgana’s bread that elevated the bread well beyond anything from the store.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026

Definition of elevated

Verb

Porush swallowed a black goldfish while Gelfand swallowed another one.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 14 July 2026
Towering flames and thick black smoke swallowed a New York State Police cruiser after a chain-reaction crash on a rural highway Tuesday morning, leaving two troopers injured, according to authorities, as dramatic photos captured the fiery aftermath.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 14 July 2026