took on

past tense of take on

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 took on The property took on its current name in the 1980s, with subsequent renovations adding the 10th floor, home to the Presidential Suite and spa. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026 Printed jeans finished with a clear, glossy coating took on a distinctly plastic-like appearance. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026 In his early films, Greene observed individuals who took on different, sometimes contradictory roles in their lives. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2026 The star of ‘Ripley’ and ‘All of Us Strangers’ star steps up in a performance of emotional depth as Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor who took on Hamlet at the end of his life. — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026 As Kierny admonished both sides to follow the court’s rules, Davis took on prosecutor Michael DiGiacomo directly. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 In making the deals, the Twins uncharacteristically took on payroll, paying the entirety of the roughly $5 million combined owed to Minter and Kremer. — Dan Hayes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Yungblud easily took on the song’s euphoric verses as Corgan accompanied on guitar, both clad in all-black, from the four-time-platinum LP. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2026 Jefferson took on the role of writing the first draft of the declaration. — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for took on
Verb
  • The country singer also asked fans to donate to the Young Center for Immigrant Rights, which helps children whose parents have faced deportations, during the opening night of her tour in Chicago back in August.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Cornell 7 lawsuit refers to the legal document filed by an unnamed Cornell University student who accused seven men of raping and drugging her at a frat house party in October 2024 — and faced no legal consequences.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That has been the model employed by Strategy and numerous copycat DATs, which have counted on steadily rising asset prices to issue new shares that pay for their operating costs.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Stefani has contested that characterization, saying Mo was lawfully employed by the California Legislature.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 5 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
  • Russian media also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin observed the drills at the Chebarkul Training Ground on Friday and met foreign military attaches.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Most Read Reviews Appropriately enough for two musicians working at the cutting edge of this underground, Bowery Electric’s Martha Schwendener and Lawrence Chandler met while working at pre-fab master Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The film, billed as a biographical dramedy, tells the story of a chaotic boardroom crisis at OpenAI in November 2023, when co-founder Altman was fired and then re-hired at the AI giant.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Claire, who always longed to be involved in baseball, expressed interest in the job and was hired as a public relations assistant, remaining in the position until 1975, when he was promoted to vice president of public relations.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 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
  • Robotics engineers can select, adapt, and recombine individual biological mechanisms to address specific technical challenges that evolutionary pressures never encountered.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In addition to reconsidering the role of drawing within her broader practice, the show aims to open Hesse’s work to viewers who may not have encountered the full breadth of her output, according to Tattersall.
    — Gabriella Angeleti, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The group also refined donor engagement, recruited five new board members and streamlined operations.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • This year, the State Department again cites Cubans fraudulently recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Took on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20on. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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