TOOK UP Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

took up

verb

past tense of take up

as in lifted

to move from a lower to a higher place or position please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it

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as in drank

to take in (something liquid) through small openings the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly

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as in borrowed

to take for one's own use (something originated by another) one cluster of fans started chanting the team name of the champions, and the crowd quickly took up the cry

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 up Karyn Nakamura also took up Tarighian’s invitation to explore the research histories behind Veo 1 and other generative models, combining several video technologies in a single work. — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 During the pandemic, millions of Americans took up new hobbies to pass the time; some baked sourdough loaves, others took up the ukulele or guitar. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 And if the situation ever reached the point where civilians actually took up arms, Canadian military literature has that covered, too. — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026 Also known as Umm Umara, the companion of prophet Muhammad took up arms at the Battle of Uhud. — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 Several militants took up positions inside the complex, and a shootout with security officers ensued, said police official Mohammad Sadiq. — Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026 Penalties and a 10-minute, 32-second drive from the Trojans took up most of the first quarter. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026 About a year ago, Buckmaster took up Córdoba and Martínez-Zoroa’s approach, working with Alpöge and using LLMs from OpenAI’s rival company Anthropic to parse through the mathematical possibilities. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 Trump has long talked about his survival as divinely guided, a theme Vance took up. — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took up

Verb

That flattened front-end design is lifted loosely from the GT1 Le Mans racer, while the back half has tinges of the 959.

— Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 15 Oct. 2026
Motorists, fed up with the second malfunction of the week, got out of their cars and lifted the arms so others could drive under, either venturing into or out of the Folsom Boulevard commuter traffic.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of lifted

Verb

The group drank alcohol and used a series of drugs — including cocaine and Xanax from the dark web, prosecutors say.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026
Her mother drank from the water bottle and realized there was a sour taste, sparking suspicions her water was being tampered with.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of drank

Verb

Anning co-founder and CEO Sophie Broun believes that methods borrowed from the oil and gas industry could unlock this energy source.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2026
But these companies are just two of the dozens that have borrowed billions of dollars at high interest rates to expand at a breakneck pace.

— Steve Kopack, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of borrowed

Verb

The row reached the competition jury’s press conference the day after the opening ceremony, where a reporter raised the question of historical fact and creative freedom.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Alternatively, funding is raised by high-yield corporate bond issuance or private credit borrowing.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of raised

Verb

Ninety percent of those particles were small enough to qualify as nanoplastics, which are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and be absorbed into human cells.

— Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
The new generation of therapeutic peptides is chemically modified to resist breakdown in the gastrointestinal tract, where traditional peptide drugs degrade before they can be absorbed.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of absorbed

Verb

But using dogs to investigate crimes wasn’t widely adopted until the mid ‘80s, Gould said.

— Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Luna was a stray for her first year before she was found by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and adopted.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of adopted

Verb

Republicans and Democrats alike say the purchase will help Russia execute its war against Ukraine — without making a difference to global fuel prices, which are elevated mostly due to Trump’s war on Iran.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
But the board decided that Niinamiâ€™s resignation was necessary, and elevated Torii from his role as president, which heâ€™d assumed just a few months earlier.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of elevated

Verb

Anyone who has seen the heart-pounding trailer of Whalefall, which follows a scuba diver being swallowed whole by a giant sperm whale, would probably not see said whale as the film’s hero.

— Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
The squishy toys contain water beads that expand when wet, including if swallowed.

— Eva Flowe October 6, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026