intake
Americannoun
-
intakes
plural
-
the place or opening at which a fluid is taken into a channel, pipe, etc.
-
an act or instance of taking in.
an intake of oxygen.
-
something that is taken in.
-
a quantity taken in.
an intake of 50 gallons a minute.
-
a narrowing; contraction.
noun
-
a thing or a quantity taken in
an intake of students
-
the act of taking in
-
the opening through which fluid enters a duct or channel, esp the air inlet of a jet engine
-
a ventilation shaft in a mine
-
a contraction or narrowing
an intake in a garment
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of intake
First recorded in 1515–25; noun use of verb phrase take in
Explanation
The act of consuming food can be called intake. A veterinarian might advise you to limit your dog's intake of pizza crusts, for example. While the process of eating can be called your intake, unless you're a militant dieter who weighs every ounce of food you consume, you're most likely to hear the word intake in a hospital or doctor's office. Caregivers might be concerned about a patient's intake of calories if he's very sick, or a dietitian might recommend an elderly woman increase her intake of calcium.
Vocabulary lists containing intake
"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Articles on Nutrition
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile, potassium intake remains "far below optimal levels in both developed and developing nations," according to the authors.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Vantara's intake accelerated in 2019, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, when tourism stalled and zoos struggled.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
This finding is especially relevant because people with diabetes frequently turn to sugar substitutes to help manage their sugar intake.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Growing intake while cutting the cost of each customer is hard to do, and it let the margin recover meaningfully while the group kept investing in growth,” the analyst notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
In English, I get a text from Mom: We have an intake appointment at 3.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
“Although we do not know exactly what levels of Neu5Gc trigger an immune response, our data suggest that higher intakes of meat-derived Neu5Gc are associated with a progressively higher risk of T2D.”
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Ceri Roberts, the council's Welsh-medium education transformation officer, said Welsh-medium primary school intakes in the county borough were rising and a number of schools had won awards in Welsh education.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
A 2025 case-control study from Vietnam found what researchers described as a U-shaped relationship between B12 intake and cancer risk, with both lower and higher intakes associated with increased risk.
From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026
One of California’s two main north-south water conduits, it pumps water from the Delta near the intakes of the other major system, the State Water Project.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
As temperatures dropped, snow and ice appeared and began clogging the air intakes of the Vimy’s two engines.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
