take
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
taykIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈteɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitive
To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.
transitive
To catch or get possession of (fish or game).
of a mechanical device
To catch; to engage.
transitive
To appropriate or transfer into one's own possession, sometimes by physically carrying off.
transitive
To seize or capture.
transitive
To capture or win (a piece or trick) in a game.
noun
The or a quantity of fish, game animals or pelts, etc which have been taken at one time; catch.
The or an act of taking.
An interpretation or view, opinion or assessment; perspective; a statement expressing such a position.
An approach, a (distinct) treatment.
A visible (facial) response to something, especially something unexpected; a facial gesture in response to an event.
Something that is taken; a haul.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.
Used this way, take is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use take
- “He takes the bus to work.”verb
- “Take any one of these cards.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
One who accepts an offer.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Pretend to be knocked out, as of a boxer.
Be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge.
Inhale through the nose.
Spring back.
Listen to a joke at one's own expense.
Eliminate urine.
Commonly Confused With
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.