take

/teɪk/ verb [T] (past tense took, past participle taken)

Definition

CARRY › to get and carry something with you when you go somewhere: I always take my mobile phone with me.

GO › to go somewhere with someone, often paying for them or being responsible for them: I took the kids to the park. I'm taking my wife to Florence for the weekend.

WITHOUT PERMISSION › to remove something without permission: Someone's taken my coat.

GET HOLD › to get hold of something and move it: He reached across and took the glass from her.

ACCEPT › to accept something: So, are you going to take the job? Do you take credit cards?

NEED › If something takes a particular amount of time, or a particular quality, you need that amount of time or that quality in order to be able to do it: [+ to do sth] It's taken me three days to get here. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and talk in front of so many people.

MEDICINE › to swallow or use medicine: Take two tablets, three times a day.

MEASURE › to measure something: Have you taken her temperature?

CLOTHES › to wear a particular size of clothes: I take a size 12 in trousers.

SPACE › to have enough space for a particular number of people or things: There's six of us and the car only takes five.

TRAVEL › to travel somewhere by using a bus, train, car, etc, or by using a particular road: Are you taking the train to Edinburgh? Take the A316 towards Richmond.

take a break/rest, etc › to stop working for a period: If you're tired, take a rest.

take pleasure/pride/an interest, etc › to have a particular, good feeling about something that you do: I take great pleasure in cooking. These women take their jobs very seriously (= think their jobs are very important).

take a look › to look at something: Take a look at these photos.

UNDERSTAND › to understand something in a particular way: Whatever I say she'll take it the wrong way.

I take it (that) › used when you think that what you say is probably true: I take it you're not coming with us.

can't take sth › to not be able to deal with an unpleasant situation: We argue all the time - I really can't take it any more.

take it from me › accept that what I say is true, because I know or have experienced it: You could be doing a much less interesting job, take it from me.

take sth as it comes › to deal with something as it happens, without planning for it: With an illness like this you just have to take every day as it comes.

BY FORCE › to get control of something by force: By morning they had taken the city.

(Definition of take verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)