Here’s a list of 50 phrasal verbs with “take” along with brief explanations to help you understand each one. “Take” is highly versatile, making it central to many English idioms, expressions, and phrasal verbs. Here’s a list covering various meanings and usage contexts:
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Take after | resemble of family member in appearance or behaviour | he really takes after her mother with her love for music. |
| Take apart | disassemble or separate something | The mechanic took the engine apart to fix the issue. |
| Take away | remove or subtract something | The waiter took away our plates after we finished eating. |
| Take back | retract a statement or return an item | He took back his rude comments after realizing he was wrong |
| Take down | record information or remove from a higher position | Can you take down his phone number for me? |
| Take for | mistake someone for someone else | I took him for an old friend, but I was mistaken. |
| Take in | understand information ; or give shelter | It took me a while to taken all the details of the story. |
| Take off | remove clothing or star to fly (for airplanes) | Please take off your shoes before entering the house. |
| Take on | Accept a responsibility or challenge | She took on a new project at work to improve her skills. |
| Take out | remove all take someone on a date | He took her out for dinner on their anniversary. |
| Take over | assume control or responsibility | A new CEO will take over the company next month. |
| Take up | begin a new hobby or accept a challenge | She took a painting to release stress. |
| take aside | move someone away to talk privately | The coach to him aside to discuss his performance. |
| Take down or notch | humble someone or reduce their pride | Her criticism to him down a not and made him reflect. |
| Take to | develop a liking for something | He immediately took to the new game and played it for hours. |
| Take it out on | direct frustration on anger towards someone | Do not take it out on me because you are upset. |
| Take back to | remind someone of a past event | That song takes me back to my childhood. |
| Take off after | pursue someone or something quickly | The dog took off after the squirrel in the park. |
| Take issue with | Disagree or dispute something | She took issue with the decision and voiced her concerns. |
| Take up with | become friends with someone | He’s taken up with a new group of friends at school. |
| Take a shine to | develop a quick liking for someone | The puppy immediately took a shine to his new owner. |
| Take something for granted | assume something will always be available | Many people take clean water for granted until they don’t have it. |
| Take in stride | Accept something difficult without getting upset | She took the news in stride and kept a positive attitude. |
| Take up on | Accept an invitation or offer | I will take you up on that offer to go hiking next weekend. |
| Take aback | surprise or shock | Her sudden resignation to everyone aback. |
| Take control of | gain Power over something | She took control of the project after the manager left. |
| Take a turn for the better | improve especially in health or situations. | After a week of rest his health took a turn for the better. |
| Take a toll on | cause damage or suffering | the long hours have really taken a toll on her health |
| Take for a ride | Deceive all trick someone | I feel like I was taken for a ride with that fake product. |
| Take pains | make lot of efforts | She takes pain to ensure every detail is perfect. |
| Take effect | begin to have an impact | The new law takes effect next month. |
| Take heart | feel encouraged | Take heart , things will get better soon. |
| Take place | happen or occur | The festival takes place every summer . |
| Take root | begin to develop or establish strongly | The idea quickly take root in the community. |
| Take ill | become sick | He suddenly took ill and had to be taken to the hospital. |
| Take exception to | Disagree with something | He took exception to the accusation and defended himself. |
| Take in tow | bring someone along with you | The senior employed took the intern in tow to show them the ropes. |
| Take a breather | pause to rest or relax | After climbing the hill we took breather before continuing. |
| Take something on board | consider or accept information | we will take your feedback on board for the next update. |
| Take to task | criticize or reprimand | He was taken to task for missing deadlines. |
| Take off guard | surprise someone | The news completely took me off guard. |
| Take the edge off | make something less intense or severe | A quick nap took the edge off his exhaustion. |
| Take a shot at | try something | I decided to take a shot at cooking a new recipe. |
| Take a rain check | postpone and invitation or offer | I will have to take a rain check on that dinner. |
| Take with a pinch of salt | don’t completely believe something | Take his advice with the pinch of salt he might be exaggerating. |
| Take up the gauntlet | accept a challenge | She took up the gauntlet to prove her abilities. |
| Take aim | prepare to shoot or focus on a target | The archer took aim at the target before releasing the arrow. |
| Take leave of one’s sense | act irrationally or foolishly | He must have taken of his senses to make such a choice. |
| Take pity on | show compassion | She took pity on the stray dog and gave it food. |
