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 of take on

• meet
• face
• encounter

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

Otherwise, journeymen like Mike White and Hendon Hooker have taken on that role. —Mike Kaye april 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026

It can be taken at any time of day without meal restrictions — unlike the Wegovy pill, which must be taken on an empty stomach each morning. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 1 Apr. 2026

Floats, too, took on a new meaning. —Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 1 Apr. 2026

Charlisse Leger-Walker feels prepared to take on the Longhorns’ high-pressure defense, thanks to UCLA’s practice players. —Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for take on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon

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