take
gb/tˈeɪk/ us/tˈeɪk/
A1
English
~ 100
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
action
1
Get or receive something
To get something by holding it or accepting it.
Usage pattern:
to take [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'take' with 'bring'; 'take' means to carry away from the current place, while 'bring' means to carry toward the current place.
Synonyms
get (A more general term for obtaining; 'take' often implies a physical action or deliberate choice.)
Antonyms
give (To transfer something to someone else, the opposite of taking.)
Collocations
take a seat
|take a break
|take notes
|take control
|take the lead
Themes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She took the book from the shelf.
- Please take this pen as a gift.
- I took the package from the delivery driver.
Learner examples
- I take an apple from the table.
- He takes a pen from his bag.
- They take the keys from the desk.
Verb
A1
action
2
Carry or move to another place
To carry or lead someone or something to a different place.
Usage pattern:
to take [someone/something] [to a place]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'take' and 'bring'; remember 'take' is from here to there, 'bring' is from there to here.
Synonyms
carry (Emphasizes physically holding and moving an object; 'take' can also mean leading someone.)
Antonyms
leave (To not move someone or something from its current place.)
Collocations
take someone home
|take something outside
|take a child to school
Themes
daily life
|travel
|transportation
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Can you take me to the airport?
- She took the kids to the park.
- I will take this letter to the post office.
Learner examples
- I take my dog to the park.
- She takes her mother to the doctor.
- They take the box to the car.
Verb
A2
action
3
Accept something offered
To say yes to having or using something.
Usage pattern:
to take [something]
Synonyms
accept (More formal and general; 'take' is common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
refuse (To say no to an offer.)
Collocations
take an offer
|take advice
|take a gift
Themes
daily life
|commerce
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- I'll take your advice on this matter.
- She took the job without hesitation.
- He took the glass of water and drank it.
Learner examples
- I take your idea.
- She takes the job.
- He takes the money.
Verb
A2
state
4
Require time or effort
To need time or energy to do something.
Usage pattern:
to take [time/effort] [to do something]
Synonyms
require (More formal; 'take' is more casual and flexible in usage.)
Antonyms
save (To reduce the time or effort needed.)
Collocations
take time
|take effort
|take energy
Themes
daily life
|work
|time
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It takes two hours to get there.
- This project will take a lot of hard work.
- Cooking this dish takes patience.
Learner examples
- It takes one hour to go home.
- The work takes two days.
- This job takes much time.
Verb
A1
action
5
Remove from a place/container
To move something out of where it is kept.
Usage pattern:
to take [something] out of [place/container]
Synonyms
remove (More formal; 'take' is common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
put back (To return something to where it was before.)
Collocations
take money out of wallet
|take clothes from drawer
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- She took her phone out of her bag.
- Please take the dishes from the cupboard.
- He took the letter from his pocket.
Learner examples
- I take bread from the box.
- She takes money from her bag.
- They take the book from the table.
Grammar
Dictionary form
take
IPA
GB/tˈeɪk/
US/tˈeɪk/
Syllables & stress
take (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (take)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: take
- 3rd Person Singular: takes
- Present Participle: taking
- Past: took
- Past Participle: taken
Word family
Forms
takes
verb
taking
verb
took
verb
taken
verb
Core family
takeaway
noun B1
takeout
noun B1
Highlights
- Irregular past: took Verb
- Irregular past participle: taken Verb
Expressions
take care of
1/tˈeɪk kˈɛɹ əv/
fixed phrase
Look after someone or something
To look after someone or something and keep them safe or in good condition.
Examples
- I will take care of your plants while you are away.
- I'll take care of the kids while you're out.
- She takes care of her younger brother every afternoon.
- Don't worry—I'll take care of it.
take off
4/tˈeɪk ˈɔf/
phrasal verb
Begin flight / become successful quickly
For planes: to start flying. For people/things: to become popular or successful very fast.
Examples
- The plane will take off in ten minutes.
- Her career really took off after that movie.
- We watched the helicopter take off from the field.
take over
5/tˈeɪk ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
Gain control of something
To get control of something from another person or group.
Examples
- A new manager will take over next week.
- She will take over as manager next month.
- The company was taken over by a larger competitor.
- A larger company took over our business.
take part in
6/tˈeɪk pˈɑɹt ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
Join an activity with others
To join an activity with other people.
Examples
- Many students will take part in the competition.
- Many students took part in the science fair.
- She rarely takes part in meetings.
- She refused to take part in the illegal scheme.
take it easy
2/tˈeɪk ˈɪt ˈizi/
idiom
informal
Relax for a while
To relax and not do hard work for some time.
Examples
- You’ve been working hard—why not take it easy this weekend?
- You’ve been working all day—take it easy tonight.
- You should take it easy after your surgery.
- Take it easy, there’s no rush.
- Take it easy, there’s no need to rush.
- Take it easy—there's no rush.
take it easy
3/tˈeɪk ˈɪt ˈizi/
idiom
informal
Relax and not work hard
To relax and not do too much work or worry too much.
Examples
- You’ve been working all day—take it easy for a while.
- Let’s take it easy this weekend and just watch movies.