TOOK OVER Synonyms: 104 Similar and Opposite Words

took over

verb

past tense of take over

as in substituted

to serve as a replacement usually for a time only I'll take over for her until she gets back from her morning break

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in accepted

to take to or upon oneself took over the responsibility of caring for the animals

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in seized

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right students protesting the war took over the college's radio station

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of took over The club has consistently overachieved in recent seasons despite modest resources, first under coach Christian Streich, now under his former captain Julian Schuster, who took over from the veteran in 2024. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Williams took over in the second quarter, scoring all 16 of her first-half points in that period. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 After the Chiefs’ defense forced the Chargers to turn the ball over on downs, KC took over at its own 38-yard line. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026 About four months later, Seaver, the singer’s nephew, took over as the company’s CEO. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026 For the first four games of the season, Ovechkin took a back seat as the Washington Capitals’ depth took over. — Danielle Allentuck, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026 When Harmeet Dhillon took over as the new chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division last April, the conservative attorney vowed to radically reshape the storied unit and its mission. — Ryan Lucas, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026 This was the first game that Broncos coach Sean Payton took over playcalling duties and — thanks in large part to the Chargers’ defense — his team fell far short of overwhelming. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 Che cited an Associated Press report that Paxton, the Texas attorney general since 2015, took over 275 out-of-state trips while in office. — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took over

Verb

Greenwood was then substituted, leaving the pitch without a shirt on.

— Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Suarez scored his 14th and 15th goals before he was substituted off in the 61st minute.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of substituted

Verb

Harris accepted, then asked to co-write the screenplay despite never having tackled a feature script.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Araiza had already punted, but the Raiders accepted the penalty and pushed the Chiefs back into a fourth-and-9.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of accepted

Verb

The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for oil shipments.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Another Renoir, a Cézanne and a Matisse were taken from the Magnani Rocca Foundation near Parma, Italy, in March (and also later recovered), while four Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina were seized from a Sicilian museum in August.

— Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of seized

Verb

Lukic, whose lab continues to scale up its medium-voltage unit, assumed the killer application for SSTs would be EVs.

— Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
If Cammarata is correct, then mechanistic interpretation may be more effective than many had assumed.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of assumed

Verb

Sporting Wichita Academy said the tragedy had shaken a soccer community built around families and teammates, thanking first responders, medical workers and bystanders who stepped in to help.

— Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Niki Zucca, president of the Central Elementary PTO, noted her school has a high rate of poverty but Jose stepped in to help.

— Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of stepped in

Verb

Naomi Ackie, who plays the scientist charged with Hagen’s experimental procedure, praised how her co-star shouldered what was a very challenging role.

— Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
The writers’ stories, set in vastly different places, converge around the unique responsibilities shouldered by women.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of shouldered

Browse Nearby Words

took out

took over

took ship

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“Took over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20over. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of took over

verb

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