as in beautiful
very pleasing to look at
had never seen such a taking city as Venice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in holding
to reach for and take hold of by embracing with the fingers or arms
take my hand, or we'll get separated in this crowd
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in having
to agree to receive whether willingly or reluctantly
will you take that call? took a cut in pay
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in getting
to become affected with (a disease or disorder)
if you don't cover your head in this weather, you'll take cold and be stuck inside all weekend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
you can take the white side this time, since I got to be white for our last chess game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in buying
to get possession of (something) by giving money in exchange for
I'll take two cheeseburgers to go, please
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in requiring
to have as a requirement
it will take a lot of courage to stand up for what is right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in accommodating
to make or have room for
I think we can take two more in this elevator
Synonyms & Similar Words
8
as in working
to produce a desired effect
it will be a few hours before this medication takes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in standing
to put up with (something painful or difficult)
I can't take anymore of your whining about your former boyfriend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in believing
to regard as right or true
I think we can take his word for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
I know we can take that team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in managing
to deal with (something) usually skillfully or efficiently
let's take each problem separately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in receiving
to offer entrance (as to a place, school, or privilege) to
the school takes only a small percentage of the thousands of applicants
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
14
as in destroying
to deprive of life
I never thought heart disease would take such an athletic and health-conscious person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of taking
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
Fort Worth Southwest Christian senior Lara Langford, a UMass-Boston signee, hurled four innings striking out four and giving up five runs in taking the loss.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Nobody, including the teenage Chelsea winger himself, is taking anything for granted.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
And the rest of us will keep taking photos of rental cars like crime scene investigators.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
While people are taking peptides for all kinds of reasons — tissue repair, skin health, body composition, immune function, longevity and so on, the evidence base mostly comes from lab work done with animals or cell cultures, along with some small studies involving humans.
—Will Stone, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
Upon taking office, the new NASA head was quick to highlight oversights in NASA’s recent crew safety standards.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Head coach Todd Golden gave Rioux the option of playing sparingly as a true freshman or taking a redshirt season and working on his game.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Mathieu Olivier scored the first goal 44 seconds into the second period, taking a pass from Werenski on a 3-on-2 rush and snapping a shot over the glove of Philadelphia goalie Dan Vladar to tie the score 1-1.
—CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
Cameron House is dreamy, in part for its location and breath-taking views and in part for its blend of baronial grandeur and modern luxury.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Apr. 2026
Fort Worth Southwest Christian senior Lara Langford, a UMass-Boston signee, hurled four innings striking out four and giving up five runs in taking the loss.
—Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Nobody, including the teenage Chelsea winger himself, is taking anything for granted.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026
And the rest of us will keep taking photos of rental cars like crime scene investigators.
—Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
While people are taking peptides for all kinds of reasons — tissue repair, skin health, body composition, immune function, longevity and so on, the evidence base mostly comes from lab work done with animals or cell cultures, along with some small studies involving humans.
—Will Stone, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
Upon taking office, the new NASA head was quick to highlight oversights in NASA’s recent crew safety standards.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 31 Mar. 2026
Head coach Todd Golden gave Rioux the option of playing sparingly as a true freshman or taking a redshirt season and working on his game.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Mathieu Olivier scored the first goal 44 seconds into the second period, taking a pass from Werenski on a 3-on-2 rush and snapping a shot over the glove of Philadelphia goalie Dan Vladar to tie the score 1-1.
—CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking
Adjective
-
The Inn stays shut during winter and ‘pack ice’ season, which some locals will tell you is the most beautiful time of all—for snowmobiling and snowshoeing through the Island’s interior by day, and come evening, getting invited into someone's warm shed for a tipple and a chat.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Apr. 2026
-
So much of what Diaspora is doing is making sure that the farmers’ spices are getting to you in a beautiful, fresh state.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Iran's players sing the national anthem, holding school bags symbolizing children killed at a school in Minab, before a soccer match between Iran and Nigeria, in Antalya, Turkey, on March 27, 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Temptations to overspend will surface, but the key is holding steady without being rigid.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Videos on the Instagram page for the restaurant show a packed establishment late at night with young people having fun and drinking, with a long line outside.—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Azimi said having Pahlavi as the head of Iran would bring democracy back to the country and end the humanitarian crisis there.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Clavicular is of course getting something in return.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Harbaugh is wagering that McDaniel is the key to getting Herbert over the hump.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Simply depositing money into the account without selecting investments means your contributions may sit as cash, earning little.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Every year, millions of Americans fill out March Madness brackets for the annual men's and women's college basketball tournaments, hoping to fulfill their unrealized dreams of selecting a perfect bracket.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The accounts had various purposes, such as investing in securities or buying real estate.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Their charming formality recalls closets of another era, when buying well mattered more than following any passing fad.—
Alex Sales,
Glamour,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of requiring county behavioral health departments to get involved directly, the bill proposes that such requests be added to the existing CARE Court process.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
But requiring all 3- or 4-year-olds to participate in a public preschool program or pretending that child care will produce better outcomes for all children doesn’t hold up to the data.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The show includes so many details about accommodating autism in a medical setting, as seen with Langdon’s bedside manner and particularly his request for Mel to turn down the lights.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
-
This initiative will continue into next season as well, likely accommodating more games against Original Six and other marquee clubs.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
