take-up

1 of 2

noun

: the action of taking up

take up

2 of 2

verb

took up; taken up; taking up; takes up

transitive verb

1
: pick up, lift
took up the carpet
2
a
: to begin to occupy (land)
b
: to gather from a number of sources
took up a collection
3
a
: to accept or adopt for the purpose of assisting
b
: to accept or adopt as one's own
took up the life of a farmer
c
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
plants taking up nutrients
4
a
: to enter upon (something, such as a business, hobby, or subject of study)
take up skiing
took up the trumpet
b
: to proceed to consider or deal with
take up one problem at a time
5
: to establish oneself in
took up residence in town
6
: to occupy entirely or exclusively : fill up
the meeting was taken up with old business
7
: to make tighter or shorter
take up the slack
8
: to respond favorably to (a person offering a bet, challenge, proposal, etc.)
took me up on it
9
: to begin again or take over from another
we must take the good work up again

intransitive verb

1
: to make a beginning where another has left off
2
: to become shortened : draw together : shrink
Phrases
take up the cudgels
: to engage vigorously in a defense or dispute
take up with
1
: to become interested or absorbed in
2
: to begin to associate or consort with

Examples of take-up in a Sentence

Verb please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Post Post Share Save Buy Copies Print Generative AI has the fastest take-up of any technology to date. Megan Reitz john Higgins, Harvard Business Review, 1 Apr. 2024 The outlook for Tesla is far less certain, given Chinese competition and the apparent slowdown in take-up of EVs in the United States and Europe. Anna Cooban, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Summing up the plot of Megalopolis, much less the themes, is a heady task, but Esposito has eloquently taken up the task of being a public ambassador for the complex film. EW.com, 27 Sep. 2024 His first book took up residence on the New York Times best-seller list for an unbelievable eight years. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take-up 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of take-up was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near take-up

Cite this Entry

“Take-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

take-up

1 of 2 noun
ˈtā-ˌkəp
1
: a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises in completing a stitch
2
: a device for winding photographic film on a reel, core, or spool

take up

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)tā-ˈkəp
1
: to begin to occupy
took up their positions
2
: to begin to engage in : undertake
took up swimming
3
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
plants taking up water and minerals
4
: to pull up or in so as to tighten or to shorten
take up the slack

Medical Definition

take up

transitive verb
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
the rate at which the cells took up glucose
take-up noun

Legal Definition

take up

transitive verb
1
: to pay the amount of (as a note) : pay in full for
2
: to proceed to deal with
take up a motion
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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