The word ‘take‘ can mean many different things. As a verb, the meaning is to remove from a particular place or reach out and hold an object.
For example:
- Someone has taken my bike. (remove)
- Can you take the groceries? My arms are starting to ache. (hold)
Take is an irregular verb. The past tense is took and the past participle is taken.
phrasal verbs with take
Phrasal verbs with ‘take’ include:
- take after
meaning – resemble in looks, character or behaviour of another person (usually family)
example – My son takes after me, he loves his food. - take apart
meaning – disassemble
example – He took apart his phone to try and get rid of the sand. - take away
meaning – move from one place to another or remove completely
example – Please take away the box of chocolates before I eat them all. - take back
meaning – return a bought/borrowed item or forgive a lover and restart a relationship
example – I can’t believe you`ve taken back your boyfriend after everything he`s done. - take care of
meaning – look after
example – Don`t worry, I’ll take good care of your guinea pig whilst you`re away. - take down
meaning – write notes or tackle someone to the ground
example – The boxer took down his opponent in the first round. - take in
meaning – process information, offer to look after a person or animal
example – I took in the two kittens I found in a skip; they are so cute. - take off
meaning – leave a place, remove clothing, do well or leave the ground and fly
example – I’m going to take off early, I’ve got a headache. - take on
meaning – accept more work or responsibility, hire someone
example – My colleague quit, so I have to take on her work until they take on a replacement. - take out
meaning – remove/extract, invite someone out for a drink, meal etc.
example – I’m going to take my mum out for her birthday. - take over
meaning – do something someone else was doing before, take control
example – A supermarket is taking over the small shop on the corner. - take to
meaning – start liking something/someone
example – The baby took to solid food straight away. - take up
meaning – start a new hobby or accept an offer
example – I think I’ll take up that job offer with a rival firm.
picture examples
Let’s learn the meaning of the phrasal verbs that contain the verb ‘take’ in more detail and see some examples in use.
Did you know that many idiomatic expressions (idioms) in English also contain a lot of verbs? Just like phrasal verbs, idioms are a major part of the English language (slang in particular). They are used constantly amongst native English speakers and are handy to know and understand.
Now you’ve learnt all the phrasal verbs with take, how about learning the idioms with take too?
