Phrasal verbs with take
Take is often about removing or accepting something. You take off your shoes, take up a hobby, take on a new job, and a good liar can take you in.
Phrasal verbs with take by level
- A1–A23take off, take out
- B17take out, take up, take back
- B217take off, take up, take back
- C1–C23take over, take on, take in
Each meaning has its own level, from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary, or our estimate (~) where they give none.
A1–A2The first ones to learn 3 meanings
- take offtake something offA2
remove clothes, shoes or glasses from your body
Please take off your shoes at the door.
- take offtake offA2
leave the ground and start flying
Our plane took off an hour late.
- take outtake something outA2
remove something from a bag, a box, a pocket or a place
Can you take the rubbish out?
B1Common, with a clear meaning 7 meanings
- take outtake somebody outB1
take someone to a restaurant or a film and usually pay
He took her out for dinner on her birthday.
- take outtake something outB1
get money from a bank, or get a loan or insurance
I took out fifty euros at the airport.
- take uptake something upB1
start a new hobby or activity
I took up yoga after my back problems.
- take uptake something upB1
use an amount of space or time
The sofa takes up half the room.
- take backtake something backB1
return something you bought to the shop
These boots are too small. I’ll take them back.
- take awaytake awayB1
buy cooked food in a café or restaurant to eat somewhere else
Two coffees to take away, please.
- take awaytake something awayB1
subtract one number from another
Ten take away three is seven.
B2Second meanings and more idiomatic ones 17 meanings
- take offtake offB2
suddenly become successful or popular
Her online shop really took off last year.
- take offtake somebody or something offB2
have time away from work
I’m taking Friday off to move house.
- take uptake somebody or something upB2
accept an offer or a chance
She took up the offer of a free lift home.
- take backtake something backB2
say that something you said was wrong or unkind
I’m sorry. I take back what I said.
- take backtake somebody backB2
make you remember a time in the past
This song really takes me back.
- take aftertake after somebodyB2
look or behave like an older person in your family
She takes after her mum. They have the same laugh.
- take overtake something overB2
start doing a job or a task that someone else was doing
Can you take over? My arms are tired.
- take ontake somebody onB2
give someone a job
The café is taking on extra staff for the summer.
- take ontake somebody or something onB2
play or fight against someone in a game or contest
On Saturday we take on the best team in the league.
- take intake somebody or something inB2
let a person or an animal live in your home
My aunt took in two kittens from the street.
- take intake somebody inB2
trick someone into believing something that is not true
Don’t be taken in by those cheap offers.
- take intake somebody or something inB2
look at something carefully and enjoy it
We sat for an hour, taking in the view.
- take downtake something downB2
remove something from a wall or a high place, or take it apart
Can you help me take down the curtains?
- take downtake somebody or something downB2
remove something from a website
The site took down the video after a day.
- take downtake something downB2
write down what someone is saying
The officer took down my name and address.
- take awaytake something awayB2
remove something or someone from a place or a person
The waiter took our plates away.
- take awaytake something awayB2
make a pain or a feeling go away
These tablets should take the pain away.
C1–C2Less common and more formal 3 meanings
- take overtake something overC1
get control of a company, usually by buying it
A big chain took over the little hotel.
- take ontake something onC1
agree to do some work or be responsible for something
Don’t take on too much at once.
- take intake something inC2
understand and remember something you hear or read
It was too much information to take in.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
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Phrasal verbs with take that people mix up
Close in meaning, but not the same.
Phrasal verbs with take: exercise with answers
Eight questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Nothing can _____ the sadness of that day.
Take away: make a pain or a feeling go away. More on take away
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2I _____ yoga after my back problems.
Take up: start a new hobby or activity. More on take up
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3The village took _____ families after the floods. (let a person or an animal live in your home)
Take in: let a person or an animal live in your home. More on take in
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4Which is correct? (get control of a company, usually by buying it)
Take over is separable here, and a pronoun must go in the middle. More on take over
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5They _____ a loan to buy a van.
Take out: get money from a bank, or get a loan or insurance. More on take out
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6I’d love to help, but I can’t take it on right now. What does it mean here?
Take on: agree to do some work or be responsible for something. More on take on
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7Do you think electric scooters will take _____ here? (suddenly become successful or popular)
Take off: suddenly become successful or popular. More on take off
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8I’m sorry. I _____ what I said.
Take back: say that something you said was wrong or unkind. More on take back
Phrasal verbs with take: FAQ
How many phrasal verbs with take are there?
Dictionaries list many more, but these 10 are the ones learners meet most, with 30 meanings between them. Each has its own page with examples, common mistakes and a short quiz.
What are the most common phrasal verbs with take?
Start with the A1 and A2 ones: take off, take out. Then the B1 ones, which are common in everyday conversation.
Which phrasal verbs with take are separable?
9 of them have at least one separable meaning, where the object can go in the middle: take off, take out, take up, take back, take over, take on. With a pronoun like it or them, the object must go in the middle.