took up; taken up; taking up; takes up
2
a
: to begin to occupy (land)
b
: to gather from a number of sources
took up a collection
3
a
: to accept or adopt for the purpose of assisting
b
: to accept or adopt as one's own
took up the life of a farmer
c
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
plants taking up nutrients
4
a
: to enter upon (something, such as a business, hobby, or subject of study)
take up skiing
took up the trumpet
b
: to proceed to consider or deal with
take up one problem at a time
5
: to establish oneself in
took up residence in town
6
: to occupy entirely or exclusively : fill up
the meeting was taken up with old business
7
: to make tighter or shorter
take up the slack
8
: to respond favorably to (a person offering a bet, challenge, proposal, etc.)
took me up on it
9
: to begin again or take over from another
we must take the good work up again
1
: to make a beginning where another has left off
2
: to become shortened : draw together : shrink
see also:
Examples of take-up in a Sentence
Verb
please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it
the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Crafton, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The Office actor Julie Fernandez and Sara Johnson have been in post two-and-a-half years now at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, which reps the likes of Steve McQueen and Stephen Frears, and have recently felt their frustration at low industry take-up of access coordinators boil over.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 May 2026
Castellanos’ playing time had become even more limited because Ty France and Gavin Sheets started hitting in mid-April and both play a superior first base to Castellanos, who took up the position just this spring.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for take-up
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Noun
The highest take-up of registrations onto FIFA PASS has been by nationals from Uzbekistan, China, India, Turkey, Mexico and Colombia.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The Office actor Julie Fernandez and Sara Johnson have been in post two-and-a-half years now at Casarotto Ramsay & Associates, which reps the likes of Steve McQueen and Stephen Frears, and have recently felt their frustration at low industry take-up of access coordinators boil over.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
But lately access has been restricted to pedestrians, too, as the plaza just in front of the White House fence has been partially taken up by construction equipment for the construction of the new East Wing ballroom.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 23 May 2026
Castellanos’ playing time had become even more limited because Ty France and Gavin Sheets started hitting in mid-April and both play a superior first base to Castellanos, who took up the position just this spring.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for take-up
Cite this Entry
“Take-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-up. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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