take on

verb

took on; taken on; taking on; takes on

transitive verb

1

a

: to begin to perform or deal with : undertake

took on new responsibilities

b

: to contend with as an opponent

took on the neighborhood bully

2

: engage, hire

3

a

: to assume or acquire as or as if one's own

the city's plaza takes on a carnival air

—W. T. LeViness

b

: to have as a mathematical domain or range

what values does the function take on

intransitive verb

: to show one's feelings especially of grief or anger in a demonstrative way

she cried, and took on like a distracted body

—Daniel Defoe

Synonyms

• battle
• encounter
• engage
• face
• meet

Examples of take on in a Sentence

will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

decided to take her on as store manager

Recent Examples on the Web

Van Fleet won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn in the role; Jane Seymour later took on the part for an ABC miniseries adaptation in 1982 and received a Best Actress Golden Globe. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2024

Freelancing, taking on a part-time job, or selling unused items can bring in extra cash to bolster your financial reserves. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024

On the lake’s receding rim, trees have taken on a yellowish hue. —Reuters, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands took on nautical inspiration for her latest look during a daytime royal engagement on Tuesday. —Julia Teti, WWD, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

take on

verb

1

: to struggle with as an opponent

2

: employ entry 1 sense 2

took on more workers

3

: to acquire (as an appearance or quality) as one's own

take on weight

4

: to make an unusual show of one's feelings especially of grief or anger

don't take on so