take-up

1 of 2

noun

: the action of taking up

take up

2 of 2

verb

took up; taken up; taking up; takes up

transitive verb

1
: pick up, lift
took up the carpet
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

intransitive verb

1
: to make a beginning where another has left off
2
: to become shortened : draw together : shrink
Phrases
take up the cudgels
: to engage vigorously in a defense or dispute
take up with
1
: to become interested or absorbed in
2
: to begin to associate or consort with

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
Noun
The outlook for Tesla is far less certain, given Chinese competition and the apparent slowdown in take-up of EVs in the United States and Europe. Anna Cooban, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 With range anxiety a major factor slowing down the take-up of EVs, that’s likely to continue: As a rule, the larger the battery the greater the range. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 11 Feb. 2024 Microsoft saw a revenue boost of 13% thanks to 29% growth in its Azure cloud operation, which was in turn driven by enthusiastic take-up of the AI features that Microsoft—via its sponsorship of OpenAI—is integrating into its services. David Meyer, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2023 For instance, using female role models in advertisements for a female-only software coding bootcamp increased the take-up rate in Latin America. Kelly Nault, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2023 The study notes that there was a slowing in the take-up of SVOD services like Netflix and Disney+, and there are indications that viewing declined in 2022, along with most other forms of viewing as total viewing fell. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 3 Aug. 2023 Yet take-up of the newest COVID boosters, which target the BA.4 and BA.5 variants that dominated last year, is slow: Only 17% of the U.S. have gotten the booster, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 20 June 2023 At the 10% take-up rate, projected spending on this one drug alone would exceed spending on the top 10 Part B drugs in 2021 and would represent close to half of the total $40 billion spent on the 600+ Part B covered drugs in 2021. Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 1 June 2023 Funding markets had been showing signs of stress, though pressures have subsided with the take-up of emergency measures. Craig Torres, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2023
Verb
Jenner’s work was rapidly taken up in Europe and America. San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2024 Instead, the show could go the anthology route and feature a new couple in Season 2 who take up the names Jane and John Smith, just as Glover and Erskine’s characters did in the beginning of the series. Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 May 2024 There is a ring that takes up half the space of a finger, going past the knuckle with small butterflies flying throughout its frame. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024 The historic castle is a Moorish fortress that takes up an astonishing 21,310 square meters. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2024 Not every desktop has to be a powerhouse that takes up half the desk. Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 10 May 2024 Dolan added the streaming platform Max featuring content from AMC Networks in summer 2023 helped her company understand how the AMC brand could work inside of a package subscribers can take up. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2024 Designed with open shelves, this cart can serve as a stylish way to highlight your special china or quality pots and pans without taking up any extra cabinet space. Michelle Love, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 May 2024 One point of clarification: These tallies include bills from special sessions, which is when the governor calls on the Legislature to take up a specific proposal. Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 8 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take-up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1832, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of take-up was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near take-up

Cite this Entry

“Take-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take-up. Accessed 18 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

take-up

1 of 2 noun
ˈtā-ˌkəp
1
: a device in a sewing machine for drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises in completing a stitch
2
: a device for winding photographic film on a reel, core, or spool

take up

2 of 2 verb
(ˈ)tā-ˈkəp
1
: to begin to occupy
took up their positions
2
: to begin to engage in : undertake
took up swimming
3
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
plants taking up water and minerals
4
: to pull up or in so as to tighten or to shorten
take up the slack

Medical Definition

take up

transitive verb
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
the rate at which the cells took up glucose
take-up noun

Legal Definition

take up

transitive verb
1
: to pay the amount of (as a note) : pay in full for
2
: to proceed to deal with
take up a motion
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!