take on

verb

took on; taken on; taking on; takes on

transitive verb

1

a

: to begin to perform or deal with : undertake

took on new responsibilities

b

: to contend with as an opponent

took on the neighborhood bully

2

: engage, hire

3

a

: to assume or acquire as or as if one's own

the city's plaza takes on a carnival air

—W. T. LeViness

b

: to have as a mathematical domain or range

what values does the function take on

intransitive verb

: to show one's feelings especially of grief or anger in a demonstrative way

she cried, and took on like a distracted body

—Daniel Defoe

Synonyms

• battle
• encounter
• engage
• face
• meet

Examples of take on in a Sentence

will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

decided to take her on as store manager

Recent Examples on the Web

Queen Camilla and Princess Anne also took on more engagements. —Kathy Rose O'Brien and Billy Stockwell, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

The South Bay Lakers took on the Valley Suns on Thursday night and came away with the loss. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024

District chief Pedro Martinez has maintained a firm grip on his job despite the mayor and the teachers’ union’s efforts to oust him, in part for his refusal to take on a hefty, high-interest loan to help fund their new CTU contract and a pension payment to the city. —Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 13 Dec. 2024

Some programs offer more rewards to organizations willing to take on downside risks. 2. —David Snow, Jr., Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

take on

verb

1

: to struggle with as an opponent

2

: employ entry 1 sense 2

took on more workers

3

: to acquire (as an appearance or quality) as one's own

take on weight

4

: to make an unusual show of one's feelings especially of grief or anger

don't take on so