take-up

[ teyk-uhp ]

/ ˈteɪkˌʌp /

Save This Word!

noun

the act of taking up.

Machinery.

uptake (def. 3).
any of various devices for taking up slack, winding in, or compensating for the looseness of parts due to wear.

the contraction of fabric resulting from the wet operations in the finishing process, especially fulling.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of take-up

First recorded in 1815–25; noun use of verb phrase take up

Words nearby take-up

take to one's heels, take to task, take to the cleaners, take turns, take umbrage, take-up, take up a collection, take up arms, take up for, take up on, take-up reel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use take-up in a sentence

Yet this, in the end, is a book from which one emerges sad, gloomy, disenchanted, at least if we agree to take it seriously.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I think for trans men who are dating every time they hook up they have another coming out,” Sandler said.
Grindr’s Trans Dating Problem|David Levesley|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In that photo, Merabet has a big smile that spreads across his whole face and lights up his eyes.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

We won't find out this season, though it comes up occasionally.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What need to look to right or left when you are swallowing up free mile after mile of dizzying road?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Most of the men leaped up, caught hold of spears or knives, and rushed out.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
Some weeks after, the creditor chanced to be in Boston, and in walking up Tremont street, encountered his enterprising friend.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The bride elect rushes up to him, and so they both step down to the foot-lights.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")

British Dictionary definitions for take-up

take up

verb (adverb, mainly tr)

to adopt the study, practice, or activity ofto take up gardening

Australian and NZ to occupy and break in (uncultivated land)he took up some hundreds of acres in the back country

to shorten (a garment or part of a garment)she took all her skirts up three inches

to pay off (a note, mortgage, etc)

to agree to or accept (an invitation, etc)

to pursue further or resume (something)he took up French where he left off

to absorb (a liquid)

to adopt as a protégé; act as a patron to

to occupy or fill (space or time)

to interrupt, esp in order to contradict or criticize

take up on

to argue or dispute with (someone)can I take you up on two points in your talk?
to accept what is offered by (someone)let me take you up on your invitation

take up with

to discuss with (someone); refer toto take up a fault with the manufacturers
(intr) to begin to keep company or associate with

noun take-up

the claiming or acceptance of something, esp a state benefit, that is due or available
(as modifier)take-up rate

machinery the distance through which a part must move to absorb the free play in a system

(modifier) denoting the part of a mechanism on which film, tape, or wire is wound upa take-up spool on a tape recorder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with take-up

take up

Raise, lift, as in We have to take up the old carpet and sand the floor. [c. 1300]

Reduce in size, shorten, tighten, as in I have to take up the hem of this coat, or You have to take up the slack in that reel or you'll never land a fish. [c. 1800]

Station oneself, settle in, as in We took up our positions at the front. [Mid-1500s]

Accept an option, bet, or challenge, as in No one wanted to take up that bet. This usage is often expanded to take someone up on, as in You're offering to clean the barn? I'll take you up on that. Take up dates from about 1700, the variant from the early 1900s.

Develop an interest in, begin an activity, as in Jim took up gardening. [Mid-1400s] Also see go into, def. 3.

Use up or occupy entirely, as in The extra duties took up most of my time, or This desk takes up too much space in the office, or How much room will your car take up? [c. 1600]

Begin again, resume, as in I'll take up the story where you left off. [Mid-1600s]

Deal with, as in Let's take up these questions one at a time. [c. 1500]

Absorb, as in These large trees are taking up all the water in the soil. [Late 1600s]

Support, adopt as a protegé, as in She's always taking up one or another young singer. [Late 1300s] Also see the subsequent entries beginning with take up.