take hold

idiomatic phrase

1

: to grasp, grip, or seize something

took hold and hung on tight

—often used with of

take hold of the railing

… she took hold of his arm with both her hands, and looked up eagerly—oh, with such terrible eagerness!—into his face.

—Anthony Trollope

—often used figuratively

As word of the subpoenas spread … confusion and hysteria took hold of the social set …

—Bob Colacello

I did not want Merlin to retire from the job until I was ready to take hold of it effectively myself …

—Mark Twain

2

: to become effective, established, or popular

The change in the law has not yet taken hold.

… a swath of land that has been spared from lava flows long enough that rich vegetation has had a chance to take hold.

—G. Brad Lewis

… here in central California the French aesthetic has recently taken hold.

—Rebecca Coffey

Examples of take hold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When People Lack Motivation: How To Cultivate Curiosity And Overcome Resistance At Work If motivation isn’t taking hold, the first step isn’t forcing more discipline or setting bigger goals. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

Over the next year, the 4,200 grafts will take hold and grow in as normal and Gravatt will — hopefully — have a full head of hair. —Hedy Phillips, People.com, 9 Mar. 2025

There’s not much else that can be done – even a cornea transplant won’t take hold if the damage is too severe. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 8 Mar. 2025

China announced retaliatory measures against the U.S. in February, when Trump’s first round of 10% tariffs against Beijing took hold. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take hold

• copyhold
• decontrolled
• hundredfold
• manifold
• marigold
• oversold
• petioled
• sevenfold
• stranglehold
• subthreshold
• thousandfold
• uncontrolled