take advantage of
idiomatic phrase
1
: to make good use of (something) : to profit by (something)
take advantage of an opportunity
We took advantage of the warm weather and did some yard work.
2
a
: to impose on (someone) : to ask for or expect more than is fair or reasonable from (someone)
After a while, I began to think she was taking advantage of me.
He felt like he'd been taken advantage of.
b
: to use (something or someone) unfairly for personal gain
He took advantage of [=exploited] my lack of experience.
It adds that young people in care homes, with learning disabilities, those excluded from school or using drugs or alcohol are particularly vulnerable to being targeted by people who take advantage of them for money, food or drugs.—
Stephen Naysmith
Stephen Naysmith
c
: to exploit (someone) sexually
The star shared her experiences of Hollywood bosses who tried to take advantage of her in the early days of her career.—The Belfast Telegraph Online
The Belfast Telegraph OnlineExamples of take advantage of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Getting municipalities and special taxing entities (such as water districts) to work together with state support, to take advantage of cost-of-scale savings for large-scale infrastructure needs such as water, energy, and fire/EMT services is a big challenge.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Several big-name stocks got caught in this week's market sell-off, leaving some at levels that investors could take advantage of to reap future gains for a trade.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
Just two years after losing a school-record 24 games in Juwan Howard’s final season, coach Dusty May took advantage of the transfer portal to build a deep and talented roster that has won 24 of 25 games for the first time in school history.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The researchers also plan to study other interventions for social media feeds, taking advantage of the flexibility offered by LLM analysis, Saveski adds.
—Simon Makin, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
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Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
Several big-name stocks got caught in this week's market sell-off, leaving some at levels that investors could take advantage of to reap future gains for a trade.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2026
Just two years after losing a school-record 24 games in Juwan Howard’s final season, coach Dusty May took advantage of the transfer portal to build a deep and talented roster that has won 24 of 25 games for the first time in school history.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026
The researchers also plan to study other interventions for social media feeds, taking advantage of the flexibility offered by LLM analysis, Saveski adds.
—Simon Makin, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for take advantage of
Cite this Entry
“Take advantage of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20advantage%20of. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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