take-up
1 of 2noun
ˈtāk-ˌəp 
: the action of taking up
take up
2 of 2verb
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
Synonyms
Verb
- boost
- crane
- elevate
- heave
- heft
- heighten
- hike
- hoist
- jack (up)
- lift
- perk (up)
- pick up
- raise
- up
- uphold
- uplift
- upraise
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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
Fox News, 18 Sep. 2022 Officials had warned some places could see their worst flooding in 50 years and that the high waters could take up to 14 hours to recede. CBS News, 18 Sep. 2022 Both of these pool cleaners will run as long as the pump motor is running and can take up to six hours to cover an average-sized in-ground pool, which is about 16 feet by 32 feet. Veronica Graham, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2022 Expanding the pipelines’ capacity would cost hundreds of millions of euros and take up to three years, the PCK manager said. Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Landaeta will be held without bail during the mental exam, which could take up to two months, Wagstaffe said. Christian Martinezstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022 Funding for the nearly $31 billion project, which could take up to 20 years to build, would have to be approved separately. Juan A. Lozano, Chron, 10 Sep. 2022 They are supposed to isolate until the lesions are gone, which could take up to four weeks. Sun Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 Those infected with monkeypox can take up to three weeks to show symptoms. Erin Prater, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022 See More
Verb
While many of those are returned either via the Title 42 public health order or other methods by Border Patrol, a significant number are released into the U.S. to await their asylum hearings – which can take up to eight years. Fox News, 18 Sep. 2022 Officials had warned some places could see their worst flooding in 50 years and that the high waters could take up to 14 hours to recede. CBS News, 18 Sep. 2022 Both of these pool cleaners will run as long as the pump motor is running and can take up to six hours to cover an average-sized in-ground pool, which is about 16 feet by 32 feet. Veronica Graham, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2022 Expanding the pipelines’ capacity would cost hundreds of millions of euros and take up to three years, the PCK manager said. Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 16 Sep. 2022 Landaeta will be held without bail during the mental exam, which could take up to two months, Wagstaffe said. Christian Martinezstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2022 Funding for the nearly $31 billion project, which could take up to 20 years to build, would have to be approved separately. Juan A. Lozano, Chron, 10 Sep. 2022 They are supposed to isolate until the lesions are gone, which could take up to four weeks. Sun Sentinel, 9 Sep. 2022 Those infected with monkeypox can take up to three weeks to show symptoms. Erin Prater, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1832, in the meaning defined above
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Medical Definition
take up
transitive verb
: to absorb or incorporate into itself
the rate at which the cells took up glucose
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
takes up
verb
1
as in lifts
to move from a lower to a higher place or position please take up the blanket so I can look underneath it Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- lifts
- raises
- hoists
- hefts
- upraises
- elevates
- picks up
- ups
- uplifts
- upholds
- hikes
- perks (up)
- boosts
- heaves
- cranes
- heightens
- rises
- jacks (up)
- ascends
- mounts
- upends
- rears
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- falls
- drops
- lowers
- pushes
- descends
- slips
- dips
- bears
- plunges
- presses
- depresses
- sinks
- pitches
- submerges
2
as in drinks
to take in (something liquid) through small openings the soil was so dry that the plant seemed to take up the much-needed water instantly Synonyms & Similar Words
- drinks
- absorbs
- soaks (up)
- swallows
- imbibes
- sucks (up)
- sponges
- sips
- slurps
- swigs
- swills
- gulps
- guzzles
- quaffs
3
as in borrows
to take for one's own use (something originated by another) one cluster of fans started chanting the team name of the champions, and the crowd quickly took up the cry Synonyms & Similar Words
- borrows
- adopts
- embraces
- takes on
- takes over
- picks up on
- follows
- assimilates
- espouses
- cultivates
- utilizes
- uses
- copies
- puts on
- incorporates
- brings up
- usurps
- imitates
- domesticates
- quotes
- honors
- appropriates
- arrogates
- prizes
- absorbs
- naturalizes
- treasures
- heeds
- affects
- cherishes
- raises
- pretends
- simulates
- assumes
- fosters
- nurtures
- rears
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- relinquishes
- abandons
- forsakes
- gives up
- surrenders
- rejects
- abjures
- disowns
- renounces
- spurns
- repudiates
- abnegates
- throws out
- throws away
- discards
- jettisons
- junks