TOOK UP Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

took up

verb

past tense of take up

as in lifted

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

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as in drank

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

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as in borrowed

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

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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 up And if the situation ever reached the point where civilians actually took up arms, Canadian military literature has that covered, too. — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026 Also known as Umm Umara, the companion of prophet Muhammad took up arms at the Battle of Uhud. — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 Several militants took up positions inside the complex, and a shootout with security officers ensued, said police official Mohammad Sadiq. — Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026 Penalties and a 10-minute, 32-second drive from the Trojans took up most of the first quarter. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026 About a year ago, Buckmaster took up Córdoba and Martínez-Zoroa’s approach, working with Alpöge and using LLMs from OpenAI’s rival company Anthropic to parse through the mathematical possibilities. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 İnönü, resisting advice from military leaders to ignore the result, resigned from the presidency and took up a new role as the leader of the opposition in the parliament. — Nick Taborall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 Trump has long talked about his survival as divinely guided, a theme Vance took up. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Sliman took up clay and hay mixtures used in village open-air ovens. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took 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

Definition of lifted

Verb

Her legal team also presented evidence that her mother drank heavily during pregnancy, impairing Pike’s brain development and her impulse control.

— Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 1 Oct. 2026
After the win came the customary celebration — another beer, poured into the championship trophy — but Laseter drank only about half before growing uneasy about how clean the trophy was and handing it to her teammate Pozdol.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of drank

Verb

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

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
Law firm Quinn Emanuel’s March memo on data-center debt was making the rounds in recent days, laying out worst-case scenarios for the hundreds of billions of dollars being borrowed and spent to fund the AI buildout.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of borrowed

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

Definition of raised

Verb

Independent consultants, hired by the city, reviewed the plans and found the traffic expected to be generated can be absorbed by surrounding roadways with minimal impact to existing traffic, Latinovic said.

— Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Add the flour, chocolate chunks and about three-quarters of the broken graham crackers and stir with a rubber spatula until combined and all the flour is absorbed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of absorbed

Verb

Many attendees opted for all-black as well as strapless gowns, and off-the-shoulder dresses elevated by dark jewels, floral patterns, and mixed textures.

— Aaron Royce, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2026
During her tenure at IMA at Newfields, Tate significantly elevated the profile of women artists and artists of color, through both acquisitions and programming.

— News Desk, Artforum, 9 Oct. 2026