Phrasal Verbs with “Take”: Meaning, Examples, and Usage

Phrasal verbs are combinations of two or more words that construct an entirely different phrase. They consist of a verb with an adverb or a preposition and the meanings of them are usually unrelated to the phrasal verb itself.

Merriam-Webster defines a phrasal verb as:

“a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or adverb or both and that functions as a verb whose meaning is different from the combined meanings of the individual words”

For instance, the phrasal verb get around means to travel to many different places. With that being said, if you separate get and around, the verb and adverb will mean completely different things.

The most common prepositions that are used to create phrasal verbs are:

• up
• down
• in
• on
• off
• away
• over

Today, we will be discussing only phrasal verbs with the word “take,” so let’s get started!

At its core, “take” carries a sense of seizing, receiving, or transitioning — making it semantically elastic enough to stretch across dozens of contexts. 

When you take on a challenge, take over a company, or take offence, you’re always moving something (a task, power, an emotion) into your sphere of influence. 

This verb naturally maps onto human experiences of agency: grabbing control, shouldering responsibility, or reacting. Its Germanic roots also favor short, punchy combinations with particles — a pattern English inherited and never abandoned. 

English has dozens of phrases with “take.” It seems impossible to memorize each one. The good news: you don’t have to. These combinations follow predictable patterns based on the core meaning of “take.”

When you grasp the logic, you automatically recognize the meaning, since it is based on how your brain works. Here are six categories that cover most likely every phrasal verb with the word “take.”

• Responsibility: Take on duties or take up a cause. You accept an obligation.
• Movement: Take off, take away, take back. The verb moves something from one point to another.
• Control: Take over, take charge. You seize authority.
• Removal: Take out, take down, take apart. You extract or eliminate something.
• Reaction: Take offense, take something personally. You internalize an external event.
• Emotions: Take heart, take comfort, take pride. You accept and absorb a feeling.

The overriding principle that ties all six together is that “take” involves movement towards the self. 

The next time you encounter an unfamiliar phrasal verb with the word “take” while learning English, reading, or listening to something, ask yourself: “What is being pulled towards the subject?”

Learning what “take” in a sentence means and how to use it correctly in a conversation could greatly improve your language skills. As well as create an appearance of a more fluent and confident English speaker.

Here are 25 phrases and even more sentences with “take” that we are going to be focusing on today:

1. Take aback
2. Take away
3. Take after
4. Take against
5. Take apart
6. Take aside
7. Take back
8. Take over
9. Take down
10. Take off
11. Take for
12. Take to
13. Take up
14. Take on
15. Take in
16. Take out
17. Take through
18. Take it out (on)
19. Take it upon (oneself)
20. Take up (on)
21. Take care of
22. Take part in
23. Take place
24. Take advantage of
25. Take into account

We will give you a definition for each of these phrasal verbs. Additionally, we put example sentences under each to give you a better understanding of the context.

Be sure to practice these verbs out loud as it helps memorize new words and meanings faster!

Take aback

To surprise or shock someone when they weren’t expecting it. Usually, this phrasal verb is used as (to be) taken aback.

Take away

To remove something so that someone no longer has it. In some cases, it also means reducing the value of something or someone.

1. To take something from a person:

2. To reduce the value:

Take after

To resemble someone in your family by characteristics, appearance, mannerisms, etc.

Take against

To begin to dislike someone, sometimes for no good reason.

Take apart

To break something down into multiple parts.

Take aside

To take someone away from a person or people they are with in order to speak to them privately.

Take back

To return something after borrowing or buying it. It can also mean to withdraw your statement after realizing it was wrong.

1. To bring something back to its owner or the shop after use:

2. To retract your statement once you understand it was incorrect:

Take over

To take control of something, or to do something that someone or something did before.

1. To gain control of something:

2. To carry on the work done before:

Take down

To remove something from a high place, like a top shelf, or generally put it away. Sometimes, it means to defeat or stop someone from causing harm.

1. To put something away:

2. To stop someone from doing bad things:

Take off

To remove something, usually in the context of clothes. It can also mean to reduce the price as a discount or to quickly rise from one place and move to another.

1. To remove clothes:

2. To make a price lower in the form of a discount:

3. To go from one place to another:

Take for

To prematurely assume something, usually about someone.

Take to

To start liking someone or something. To start doing something often. Sometimes to go somewhere because of being in a difficult or dangerous situation.

1. To begin to like someone or something:

2. To start doing something regularly:

3. To seek a place due to danger or trouble:

Take up

The meaning here is to start doing something habitually. Also means to occupy space.

1. To start doing something regularly:

2. Filling a particular amount of space:

Take on

This phrasal verb is used to talk about accepting a job or assuming some kind of responsibility.

Take in

It means to allow someone to stay in your house.

Take out

To withdraw or remove something. To take someone out means inviting them to a date or to eat at a restaurant.

1. To take something away:

2. To invite someone:

Interesting detail: the word “takeout” means ordering food from a restaurant to eat at home.

Take through

It is used to explain in detail to someone how a certain thing or job is meant to be done.

Take it out (on)

To cause someone harm or make them feel bad because of your own misfortunes. Usually, people take it out on somebody who isn’t at fault.

Take it upon (oneself)

Taking something upon yourself means to accept responsibility for something even if you weren’t asked to do it.

Take up (on)

To accept an offer or an invitation.

Take care of 

To look after or to be responsible for a task.

Take part in 

To participate in a certain activity.

Take place

It’s all about when or where an event happens.

Take advantage of

To use an opportunity to do something or succeed; exploit someone or something to reach your goal.

Take into account

The meaning here is straightforward — to consider.

English phrasal verbs with “take” cause trouble for learners at every level. The combinations look simple, but small errors change the meaning completely. Most mistakes fall into three categories: confusing similar phrases, placing words in the wrong order and dropping necessary prepositions.

Each error type has a clear fix once you understand the pattern.

• Confusing similar phrases

The confusion between take on and take out happens because the phrases sound alike. The prepositions signal opposite directions. As we know, taking on means accepting responsibility or a challenge. 

On the other side, take out focuses on removing something from a place. Remember that on pulls inward, out pushes away.

• Wrong word order

Errors with the right word order show up in separable phrasal verbs. For example, when pronouns are involved, they must be placed between the verbs and the particles in a phrasal verb with “take.” Take it out is correct and take out it is not. 

• Avoidance of vital prepositions

When prepositions are absent, it confuses the listener or reader. Compare these different examples: take care of … means take care of something specific that you mention. Take care alone only functions as a saying when you bid farewell to a person. 

It is of the utmost importance to use the correct preposition with “take” in a phrasal verb, since even the change from on to in can make your message unclear or even insult somebody in certain contexts.

To progress in learning English and especially with something as complex as phrasal verbs it is vital to practice consistently with different types of exercises. Go through the following tasks and test how well you understand this topic and can define which phrasal verbs to use according to contexts.

There are many ways for non-native English speakers to learn how to make their speech sound more natural. Studying and understanding phrasal verbs is fundamental for the development of your English skills in the long run if you want a visible result. 

Learning all English phrasal verbs with “take” is not a one-day exercise, especially considering how many versions of this phrasal verb exist. However, as you learn these phrases by blocks of meaning and practice incorporating them into your speech, you will memorize them faster.

In this article, we looked at 25 “take” phrasal verbs, explaining what each of them means and how to use them in a sentence. Be sure to come back to this article as you learn new phrasal verbs. Good luck with your English journey and remember, practice makes everything perfect!