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

During his Sunday interview, Murphy said Democrats should have emphasized the administration’s efforts to take on corporate power. —Maydeen Merino, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 1 Dec. 2024

This lunation is ideal for setting new intentions for the year ahead, whether that means taking on a new look or reimagining the direction of your life. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Dec. 2024

Led by boutique firm Langlois Design, the updates were focused mainly on the guest casitas, marking the first time the accommodations had been updated since 2008 — four years before the resort took on the Four Seasons name. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 1 Dec. 2024

Some took on big tasks, like Trump’s last acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller who made a trip to Afghanistan in December 2020 while the Trump administration was working to reduce the U.S. military forces in the country following Trump’s election defeat that year. —Alex Gangitano, The Hill, 30 Nov. 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