taken up

past participle of take up
1
2
as in absorbed
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

3

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 taken up And while Neon and A24 have certainly taken up the auteur mantle in the past half-decade, these studios can offer low-to-mid-level budgets, a far cry from the $100 million-plus that De Luca and Abdy greenlit. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026 Open System Settings > General > Storage to see how much space is taken up by Applications, Documents, and Photos. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026 Returning to Quadlin and Rudel, for example, later researchers have taken up the relationship between educational debt, time use, and students’ broader college experience. — Saurabh Anand, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2026 Selzer’s case was taken up by the free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. — Hannah Fingerhut, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026 All this is more moving when staged within the novels than when taken up as an external, reflexive attempt to dismantle plot and character. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 Opening on August 24 for visits by appointment only, the Wolf Kahn Foundation and Archives has taken up residence at 134 West 26th Street. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026 Judging from this album, a lot of grim topics have taken up residence there. — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026 Springer had by then dropped Lowden and taken up with Brumetti. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taken up
Verb
  • There, local fishermen demonstrated their sustainable crayfish harvesting process, and as a spectacular touch, the helicopter lifted one of the crayfish tanks straight out of the ocean, giving our client a dramatic view of the abundant catch.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This act temporarily lifted the statutes of limitations, allowing survivors to sue their abusers regardless of when the harm occurred.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Much of those losses were uninsured, leaving the losses to be absorbed by governments, businesses, or households.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Get absorbed in work, movement, or a project that lets your energy become productive instead of argumentative.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Robotics and cybersecurity borrowed the concept for a reason.
    — Michael Morris, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Unlike stock margin, however, futures margin isn’t borrowed money.
    — Bruce Blythe, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • During that time, the group raised thousands of dollars from the tobacco, gambling, and pharmaceutical industries, as detailed by a Washington Post report.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Born and raised in Callicoon, Doetsch returned to the area to retire after a career in Chicago.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Brazilian authorities adopted electronic voting machines in the 1990s to combat fraud.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Biermann adopted Zolciak's daughters, Ariana and Brielle, from a previous relationship.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The architects, some of whose work critics dismissed as better suited to Disneyland than the city, embraced the chance to apply their visual style to consumer products.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Does being embraced by the Nashville industry feel like a reasonable goal?
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Lately, though, the push notifications alerting me to the recall du jour have taken on an unremitting, nagging tone.
    — Greg Mania, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Since her departure from the streamer in September 2020, Holland had taken on board and advisory roles before returning to the executive ranks as Global CEO of Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone‘s Sister in 2023.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Taken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taken%20up. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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