take hold

idiomatic phrase

1

: to grasp, grip, or seize something

took hold and hung on tight

—often used with of

take hold of the railing

… she took hold of his arm with both her hands, and looked up eagerly—oh, with such terrible eagerness!—into his face.

—Anthony Trollope

—often used figuratively

As word of the subpoenas spread … confusion and hysteria took hold of the social set …

—Bob Colacello

I did not want Merlin to retire from the job until I was ready to take hold of it effectively myself …

—Mark Twain

2

: to become effective, established, or popular

The change in the law has not yet taken hold.

… a swath of land that has been spared from lava flows long enough that rich vegetation has had a chance to take hold.

—G. Brad Lewis

… here in central California the French aesthetic has recently taken hold.

—Rebecca Coffey

Examples of take hold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Almost a dozen students have been suspended for a year from New York University (NYU) for demanding divestment from Israel as President Donald Trump's no-nonsense approach to higher education takes hold. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 30 Jan. 2025

Related Articles As ceasefire takes hold, Hamas returns 3 Israeli hostages and Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners CU Boulder retaliated against pro-Palestine demonstration by stifling students’ free speech, lawsuit alleges Amnesty International says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. —Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 28 Jan. 2025

In November of that year, an outbreak of measles took hold, ultimately killing 83 people, mostly children. —Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2025

The situation is so grim that a kind of gallows humour has begun to take hold. —Jack Lang, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1