take out
Britishverb
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to extract or remove
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to obtain or secure (a licence, patent, etc) from an authority
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to go out with; escort
George is taking Susan out next week
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bridge to bid a different suit from (one's partner) in order to rescue him from a difficult contract
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slang to kill or destroy
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informal to win, esp in sport
he took out the tennis championship
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informal to sap the energy or vitality of
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informal to vent (anger, frustration, etc) on (esp an innocent person)
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informal to make someone forget his anxieties, problems, etc
adjective
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bridge of or designating a conventional informatory bid, asking one's partner to bid another suit
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sold for consumption away from the premises on which it is prepared
a takeout meal
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preparing and selling food for consumption away from the premises
a takeout Indian restaurant
noun
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a shop or restaurant that sells such food
let's go to the Chinese takeout
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a meal bought at such a shop or restaurant
we'll have a takeout tonight to save cooking
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Extract, remove, as in He should take out that splinter : [c. 1300]
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Secure by applying to an authority, as in She took out a real estate license . [Late 1600s]
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Escort on a date, as in He's been taking out a different girl every night of the week . [c. 1600]
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Give vent to; see take it out on .
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Carry away for use elsewhere, as in Can we get some pizza to take out?
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Obtain as an equivalent in different form, as in We took out the money she owed us by having her baby-sit . [Early 1600s]
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Set out, as in Jan and Herb took out for the beach , or The police took out after the suspects . [Mid-1800s]
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Kill, destroy, as in Two snipers took out a whole platoon , or Flying low, the plane took out the enemy bunker in one pass . [1930s]
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See under take out of .
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.
Rather than treating this as a black-and-white or all-or-nothing scenario, why not dip into your taxable brokerage account, take out a mortgage, and time your IRA withdrawals or Roth conversions.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
A bad credit score hurts your ability to take out a loan, rent housing and even qualify for certain jobs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
“They want to take out the U.S. leader—me,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Most students in Northern Ireland take out a loan to cover their tuition fees and a "maintenance loan" to cover their living costs.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
I sit on the other swing and take out my sketchbook.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Definitions 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.
