take on

verb

Definition of take onnext
1
as in to meet
to enter into contest or conflict with will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to employ
to provide with a paying job decided to take her on as store manager

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to borrow
to take for one's own use (something originated by another) recently arrived immigrants who are eager to take on the language and culture of their adopted homeland

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 on Asparagus Recipe Asparagus Is Far From Boring As spring sets in, there is no better time to enjoy asparagus, and our cheesy take on the vegetable will make even the pickiest of eaters go for seconds. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025 And as an oldest child, Abdi took on a lot of responsibility for her younger siblings’ care, while also heeding her parents encouragement to focus on school, school, school. — Courtney Crowder, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025 But absurd took on a new meaning with Becky after a tragic car accident 30 years ago that killed her 2-year-old son, Christopher. — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2025 However, the film also remains firmly rooted in the question of what is motivating them to take on this task. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for take on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for take on
  1. meet
  2. employ
  3. borrow
  4. face
  5. hire
  6. adopt
  7. encounter
  8. recruit
Verb
  • The Pisces moon meeting Venus and Neptune deepens an emotional connection.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Their new album Rushmere is named after where the band originally met in Wimbledon.
    — Marina Watts, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of meet
Verb
  • James Sheen, a builder who employed Jones, previously pleaded guilty to burglary.
    — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Rather, these programs employ laudably sophisticated statistical capabilities exercised on huge amounts of data — writing, visual imagery, video, audio, or computer code — and look for patterns.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of employ
Verb
  • For Max, the entire situation is — to borrow an acronym oft-used by American GIs during World War II — FUBAR.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Ahmad borrowed money for a $1,300 Pakistani visa so the State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, or CARE, team could evacuate him to Islamabad in May 2023.
    — Beth Bailey, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of borrow
Verb
  • Prospective homebuyers, many of whom have been sidelined by rising mortgage rates, now also face higher costs due to tariffs.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Either matchup could produce interesting story lines as Big 12 Player of the Year Hailey Van Lith could face her former teammates at Louisville.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of face
Verb
  • Maryland will hire a new athletic director, and that person will have the chance to decide what kind of department the state’s flagship university should have.
    — Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Penn hired Fran McCaffery as its men’s basketball coach on Thursday, two weeks after he was fired at Iowa in a season where the Hawkeyes won their fewest games and had their lowest Big Ten regular-season finish in seven years.
    — Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2025
Definition of hire
Verb
  • In today’s flat (or shrinking) budgetary environment, institutions must adopt smart, strategic technology consolidation to maximize impact and efficiency.
    — Chase Williams, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Adell, 24, has always been open with her fans about the fact that she was adopted, and grew up in southern California with four siblings, all of whom were also adopted.
    — Rachel DeSantis, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of adopt
Verb
  • After college, the Florida native encountered her first hurdle at the gates of medical schools.
    — Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
  • In 2003, a German graduate student named Britta Späth encountered the McKay conjecture, one of the biggest open problems in the mathematical realm known as group theory.
    — Leila Sloman, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2025
Definition of encounter
Verb
  • Perhaps they were recruited from Trump’s central casting of the mind.
    — Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Schwartz had recruited Dyer to drive him to and from the dentist's office.
    — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2025
Definition of recruit

Browse Nearby Words

takeoffs
take on
take one's time
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Take on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/take%20on. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

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