what it takes
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’m so allergic to crowds that I will do what it takes to avoid them,” said Rachel Ratliff, a 57-year-old retired lawyer from San Francisco who recently spent three weeks traveling in Crete.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Some believe she has what it takes to lead one day.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“We were confident that the Knicks had what it takes to win.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Saudi Arabia, by far the cartel's most influential member, "is going to do what it takes to stop anyone else from leaving," Falakshahi predicted.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
Sesame Street is best known for the creative geniuses it attracted, people like Jim Henson and Joe Raposo and Frank Oz, who intuitively grasped what it takes to get through to children.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
