take advantage of

idiomatic phrase

1

: to make good use of (something) : to profit by (something)

take advantage of an opportunity

We took advantage of the warm weather and did some yard work.

2

a

: to impose on (someone) : to ask for or expect more than is fair or reasonable from (someone)

After a while, I began to think she was taking advantage of me.

He felt like he'd been taken advantage of.

b

: to use (something or someone) unfairly for personal gain

He took advantage of [=exploited] my lack of experience.

It adds that young people in care homes, with learning disabilities, those excluded from school or using drugs or alcohol are particularly vulnerable to being targeted by people who take advantage of them for money, food or drugs.

—Stephen Naysmith

c

: to exploit (someone) sexually

The star shared her experiences of Hollywood bosses who tried to take advantage of her in the early days of her career.

—The Belfast Telegraph Online

Examples of take advantage of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fraudsters took advantage of several government relief programs enacted by Congress in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, which shut down the U.S. economy and killed more than 1.2 million Americans. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2025

The ruling opens the door to discovery on Paramount’s understanding of its deal with WBD and whether the company took fraudulent measures to take advantage of ambiguity in the contract. —Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025

Yet very few bars take advantage of this underrated varietal. —Christina Liao, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025

Founded a little less than three years ago, K2 seeks to disrupt the production of large satellites by focusing on vertical integration and taking advantage of large launch vehicles, such as SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn, which can throw a lot of payload into space. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1