take over
verb
Simple meaning
To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
taykohverSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈteɪˈkoʊvɚ
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
To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force.
To buy out the ownership of a business.
To adopt a further responsibility or duty.
Free someone temporarily from his or her obligations
To appropriate something without permission.
To relieve someone temporarily.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force.
Used this way, take over is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in business or professional contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Business/professional
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
An offer to buy shares in order to take over the company.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “take over” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
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.