take issue

idiomatic phrase

: to adopt or express an opposed or contrary view or position : disagree

Though a barbecuing Southerner may take issue, Texas-style and Korean barbecue have much in common.

—Anito Lo

—usually used with with

She took issue with the conclusions reached by the study.

Carolyn Nichols, an editor at Bantam, took issue with the notion that romance fiction is escapist.

—Charles Trueheart

Despite the proliferation of all means of communications, from magazines to computers, books remain our chief medium for the full expression of ideas, and for taking issue with those of others.

—Robert R. Harris

Examples of take issue in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the pictures, the proud mom can be seen rocking a red lace maxi dress, which one user took issue with. —Emma Aerin Becker, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024

While the move was largely expected, the market took issue with the monetary policy committee’s more hawkish outlook on rate cuts in 2025. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 22 Dec. 2024

Gray took issue with the driver comparing portions of the U.S. electorate to Nazi Germany. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

What happened? House conservatives had always taken issue with Johnson’s original measure, which included more than $100 billion in additional funding for, among other things, disaster aid and the farm bill reauthorization. —Kristina Karisch, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined above