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

However, this led to more companies opening doc divisions and start-ups emerging, making talent more scarce just as market contraction began to take hold. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024

The invention of the marathon relied on history, legend, and invention in equal parts, both reanimating the past and creating a path for new values to take hold. —Miriam Kamil, JSTOR Daily, 20 Nov. 2024

The real test of whether the future will take hold this time may be in how Waymo handles its first fatality. —Wired Staff, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2024

Between the lines: How to fill the vacant land next to the Regional Transportation District station is a long-running question after homelessness and crime took hold in recent years. —John Frank, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1