take flight

idiom

1
: to leave or run away from danger
Fearing arrest, they took flight and hid in the mountains.
2
US : to begin flying
The bird took flight when we tried to approach it.
3
US : to begin a period of rapid activity, development, or growth
The idea really took flight and soon it seemed everyone was copying it.

Examples of take flight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But as vital as that first part is, there’s a lot of magic in phase two, when companies take flight and really start to grow. Evan Clark, WWD, 27 Feb. 2025 Multi-layered dresses like cocoons float down the runway, while oversized statement suiting with hemlines of all proportions take flight. Anika Reed, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025 How To Die Alone followed Mel (Rothwell), a broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and forgotten how to dream, until an accidental brush with death catapults her on a journey to finally take flight and start living by any means necessary. Denise Petski, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2025 Keep pounding, trilling, or skipping along waves of notes, and your hands take flight. Justin Davidson, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take flight

Cite this Entry

“Take flight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20flight. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!