PHRASAL VERB Meaning EXAMPLE

There will come a time when you'll need

to take a stand for the changes you want.
TAKE A STAND to defend one's point of view or beliefs.

She took up swimming and started

TAKE UP Spend time doing something regularly (e.g. a hobby) going twice a week.

To get control of a company, business Facebook took over WhatsApp in 2014.

TAKE OVER
Take something out
TAKE OUT Remove something from its place I took out my wallet from my bag.
Take someone out
Go somewhere with someone, you usually invite them and pay David took his girlfriend out for
dinner.
Germany will take on Mexico in the
To fight or compete against someone first round of the World Cup.
TAKE ON

Take something on
I took on the project.
Accept a job or responsibility, especially a difficult one
Take somebody on I went for the interview last week and

Employ someone to do a job now they’ve decided to take me on.

To believe something about somebody, often wrongly You took me for an idiot.
TAKE FOR

To be similar to someone in appearance or character, She’s very funny. She takes after her
TAKE AFTER
 especially a family member mother.

Leave the ground (an airplane, bird or insect) The plane took off at 2pm.
TAKE OFF
Not go to work, but with permission She took a week off to go and visit her
family.
Take something off It was hot in the room so he took off his

To remove a piece of clothing jumper.

He took my phone apart to fix it.

Separate something into its different parts
TAKE APART
Showing the weakness of an argument or an idea They will take our report apart and
then give us feedback.
TAKE AWAY Take that table away as we don’t need
To remove something
it in here.

To buy food from a restaurant and eat it elsewhere We ordered Chinese food to take
away.
To surprise or shock someone We were taken aback by the news.
TAKE ABACK
Take something back
The dress was too tight so
TAKE BACK a. Return something to the place you bought it I took it back to the shop.

b. Admitting something you said/thought was wrong You’re not selfish. I take that
(comment) back.
 Take someone back He cheated on her but she finally took

Allow someone to come back/return him back.

Take something down He took down the book from the top of
TAKE DOWN the bookcase.
a. Reach up and get something from a high place

She took down John’s number so she

b. To write down a piece of information could call him back.

Take somebody down The journalist took the

politician down with her difficult
To humble or humiliate someone, to lower/reduce in
questions.
power