TAKE-UP Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

take up

verb

Definition of take up

as in to lift

to move from a lower to a higher place or position please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to drink

to take in (something liquid) through small openings the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to borrow

to take for one's own use (something originated by another) one cluster of fans started chanting the team name of the champions, and the crowd quickly took up the cry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of take up Elsewhere, both Asawa and Sekimachi’s sculptures take up space while also being invisible. — Robert Sullivan, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2026 Their mother took up odd jobs to make extra money, Porrata said, including making and selling pizzas and doing hair from home. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 The top court has not agreed to hear the case, but it is widely expected to take up the matter next year. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 In 2025, the State Department went further, canceling the assignments of senior officers en route to take up embassy jobs and opening a new hiring process. — Donald Heflin, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for take up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for take up

Verb

The technology that investors and governments are counting on to lift the global economy is also adding pressure that threatens growth, the head of the International Monetary Fund said, urging policymakers to stop delaying painful choices on debt.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
From setting up special meals to just brightening days with smiles and genuine care, the staff here lift the already luxury experience to the next level.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of lift

Verb

Consider what can be borrowed, shared, revised, or delayed without losing the larger goal.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
Governments are borrowing heavily to finance fiscal deficits, while companies are raising funds to invest in emerging technologies, creating an imbalance that could keep upward pressure on interest rates.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of borrow

Verb

Key justices appeared wary about the potential sweep of litigation, but torn over the complex questions of federal and state law raised by the case.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Boat trips to Capri and Positano are on the doorstep, as are hair-raising Vespa tours on hairpin roads and private visits to Pompei and Herculaneum.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of raise

Verb

But as stock prices climb and bond yields increase, that relative advantage is diminishing, leaving less room for equities to absorb higher rates.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Not only have household budgets spent the last several years absorbing higher prices, but today's high rates mean that credit card balances and other monthly obligations are likely claiming a larger share of each paycheck, too.

— Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of absorb

Verb

Rates actually continued to increase after the Society of Surgical Oncology adopted the guidelines in 2016, even though patients who received the biopsy were not more likely to survive or avoid recurrence.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
Meta immediately took out advertisements in major newspapers, pressuring its competitors to adopt similar guardrails.

— Darius Tahir, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of adopt

Verb

Analysts anticipate that gold prices will remain constrained in the short term by a strong US dollar and elevated US Treasury yields.

— , CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
While the property’s extensive and expensive renovation has elevated nearly every corner of the resort, the room doors appear to have been overlooked.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of elevate

Verb

While the lobby is trés analogue, the rooms embrace modernity, and each features a lounge area that combines midcentury-modern furniture with art that evokes grunge-era irreverence.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Lisa embraced the wedge heel comeback at Louis Vuitton‘s spring 2027 show on Tuesday with a pair of sculptural wedges popular among guests at the Paris event.

— Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026