what it takes

1. The necessary expertise or qualities, as in She's got what it takes to make a good doctor, or Inherited wealth is what it takes to maintain that lifestyle. This idiom uses what in the sense of “that which” and take in the sense of “require.” [1920]

Example Sentences

I built this long career in consumer packaged goods, with extensive experience in events and lifestyle marketing—did I have what it takes to be able to do the chief marketing officer role for the New York Red Bulls?

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If that's what it takes to witness an occasion like this, the Tartan Army might be happy to wait another three decades for the next one.

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“At least Nansi has what it takes to use that anger—and do something with it.”

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This data will then be fed into the AI so it can learn what it takes for an antibiotic to persist inside a Gram-negative bacterium.

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Most of Clarke's lot know what it takes to qualify for a major finals having done it twice on his watch already.

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Related Words

• boldness 
• bravery 
• courage 
• determination 
• endurance 
• fearlessness www.thesaurus.com
• firmness www.thesaurus.com
• grit 
• mettle 
• moxie 
• nerve 
• patience 
• perseverance 
• pluck 
• spunk 
• stamina 
• staying power 
• tenacity 
• valor