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 As Ricky adapts to his expanding worldview, a delirious new logic takes hold. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 14 July 2026 Once the story gathers everyone into the house and lets the mayhem start in earnest, an overall feeling of Gothic grimness and rotting-corpse griminess takes hold. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026 But if winter deliveries fall short and a drought takes hold, missing the December target could mark the beginning of a troublesome era. — Corey Schmidt july 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026 Heat builds once again late in the week as a more typical midsummer pattern takes hold. — Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026 The company may be showing some signs of financial stabilization, but sustaining a turnaround will depend on whether change takes hold throughout the entire organization. — Andrew Staples, Fortune, 3 July 2026 Baltimore will already be around 90° by noon as the hot weather pattern takes hold of the forecast. — Rachael Jay, CBS News, 30 June 2026 With his last film exploring Goodbye Julia exploring the events of 2011 when South Sudan broke away from the north, his new drama is set in Sudan in 1983 as Sharia Law takes hold. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 June 2026

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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 16 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of takes hold

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