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View synonyms for take up

take-up

[teyk-uhp]

noun

  1. the act of taking up.

  2. Machinery.

    1. uptake.

    2. any of various devices for taking up slack, winding in, or compensating for the looseness of parts due to wear.

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



take up

verb

  1. to adopt the study, practice, or activity of

    to take up gardening

  2. to occupy and break in (uncultivated land)

    he took up some hundreds of acres in the back country

  3. to shorten (a garment or part of a garment)

    she took all her skirts up three inches

  4. to pay off (a note, mortgage, etc)

  5. to agree to or accept (an invitation, etc)

  6. to pursue further or resume (something)

    he took up French where he left off

  7. to absorb (a liquid)

  8. to adopt as a protégé; act as a patron to

  9. to occupy or fill (space or time)

  10. to interrupt, esp in order to contradict or criticize

    1. to argue or dispute with (someone)

      can I take you up on two points in your talk?

    2. to accept what is offered by (someone)

      let me take you up on your invitation

    1. to discuss with (someone); refer to

      to take up a fault with the manufacturers

    2. (intr) to begin to keep company or associate with

“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

noun

    1. the claiming or acceptance of something, esp a state benefit, that is due or available

    2. ( as modifier )

      take-up rate

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

  2. (modifier) denoting the part of a mechanism on which film, tape, or wire is wound up

    a 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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of take up1

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

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 .

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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.

The problem: The entry cost is increasingly high because of the race to AGI, and even the prospects for take-up of the less exciting propositions remain uncertain.

Former President Joe Biden pushed hard to increase take-up, aiming for electric cars to account for half of all sales in the US by 2030.

Read more on BBC

The government's climate adviser said the move would make switching to electric technologies, such as heat pumps, cheaper and encourage take-up.

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However, despite regular campaigns from the government encouraging take-up - and an increase in claims after the July 2024 announcement - more than half a million eligible pensioners still fail to claim it.

Read more on BBC

But in most cases, take-up was so low that it didn't prevent the number of long-term empty homes from rising.

Read more on BBC

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