take on
verb
took on;
taken on;
taking on;
takes on
Definition of take on
1a
: to begin to perform or deal with : undertake
took on new responsibilities
b
: to contend with as an opponent
took on the neighborhood bully
3a
: 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
: 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
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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
But sometimes monuments adapt to take on more meanings. — Washington Post, "At 9/11 memorial, new recognition for a longer-term toll," 9 Sep. 2019 Team USA Basketball is getting ready to take on a more challenging squad at the 2019 FIBA World Cup as the players brace for a matchup with Brazil on Monday, September 9 at 5:30 a.m. PT/8:30 a.m. ET at Shenzhen Bay Sports Arena in Shenzhen, China. — Tim Brown, oregonlive, "USA Basketball vs Brazil: Live score updates, how to watch live stream online," 9 Sep. 2019 This mission appears to be taking on greater urgency for some museums in recent years. — Suyin Haynes, Time, "Why a Plan to Redefine the Meaning of 'Museum' Is Stirring Up Controversy," 9 Sep. 2019 Ohio State opens the Big Ten season next Saturday, Sept. 14, at Indiana before returning home Sept. 21 to take on Miami University. — Nathan Baird, cleveland.com, "Ohio State football team sings Carmen Ohio after Cincinnati game: Watch the video," 7 Sep. 2019 College field hockey: No. 2-ranked Maryland (2-0) will travel to Evanston, Ill. this weekend to take on No. — Baltimore Sun Staff, baltimoresun.com, "Crofton golfer Kyle Berkshire wins World Long Drive Championship; Johns Hopkins wins football season opener," 6 Sep. 2019 For the first time, the poll asked voters about the large field of Democratic candidates running to take on Trump. — Scott Bauer, Twin Cities, "Trump’s approval rating remains below 50% in Wisconsin," 5 Sep. 2019 After all, New Hampshire Republicans handed former Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts the nomination to take on Ms. Shaheen in 2014, two years after he was defeated for re-election across the state line. — Jonathan Martin, New York Times, "Will Trumpism Take Deeper Root in New Hampshire?," 3 Sep. 2019 Next week: James Clemens will travel to crosstown rival Bob Jones, while Clay-Chalkville will travel to Montgomery to take on Park Crossing in the Cramton Bowl. — al, "Clay-Chalkville erases 2-score deficit in win against James Clemens," 30 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'take on.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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