TAKES HOLD Synonyms: 17 Similar and Opposite Words

takes hold

phrase

present tense third-person singular of take hold

as in works

to produce a desired effect It was clear in the students' essays that her lessons had taken hold.

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Recent Examples of takes hold Workday was downgraded to hold from buy at KeyBanc, with analysts expecting a longer timeline before the adoption of AI products takes hold. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 But when the humanoid gets to near-perfect human replication yet retains something robotic in its essence, an ickiness takes hold. — Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Boaz’s family life is upturned just as the AIDs epidemic takes hold. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 And once the rupture takes hold, the soldiers—those who have never been run toward—turn and flee. — Abdelrahman Elgendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 The policy, however, risks a downshift in hiring and an uptick in the unemployment rate, though such fallout typically takes hold after a lag time lasting several months. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026 Teams where defensive leadership takes hold typically see meaningful drops in innovation metrics across the following year or two. — Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 As that evolution takes hold, people step out of the role of human glue. — Bryan Goode, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026 Many of the victims are poor, and his camera’s tour of Black Brazilian lives hints at a multifaceted cultural portrait not usually contained within the Brazilian cinema that takes hold in North America. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for takes hold

takes effect

Phrase

In California, when conflicting initiatives pass, only the one with the most votes takes effect.

— Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Before the Saver’s Match takes effect, the saver’s credit remains available through the 2026 tax year for lower- and moderate-income retirement savers.

— Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of takes effect

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take ship

takes hold

takes hold (of)

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“Takes hold.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/takes%20hold. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of takes hold

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