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Synonyms

what it takes

Idioms  

  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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Once brash and unapologetic, his humour now carries a quiet melancholy - yet it lands with the precise timing of someone who has learned what it takes to survive.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

They don’t have what it takes, and they never did!

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

“But we will if that’s what it takes to ensure our families can survive, and our students have all the support they need — inside and outside the classroom.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

“I feel like I’ve pretty much done what it takes to win.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Ten dollars a week is what it takes to start, ten dollars for the right of knowing a someone in the city for you who are yet nobody.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

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.