Phrasal verbs with TAKE: 25 essential ones with examples
A2–B225 words
Take shifts meaning completely depending on the particle that follows it: a plane takes off, a hobby is taken up, a company is taken over. Learn the twenty-five below as separate words, because that is what they are.
Where you will use it: Conversation, work English and news.
Phrasal verbs with TAKE — The word list
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| take off | To leave the ground, or to remove clothing.“The plane takes off at noon.” |
| take up | To start a new activity.“She took up painting.” |
| take over | To gain control of something.“A larger firm took over the company.” |
| take after | To resemble a family member.“He takes after his father.” |
| take back | To return something, or withdraw a statement.“I take back what I said.” |
| take on | To accept work or responsibility.“We took on two new clients.” |
| take out | To remove, or to bring someone somewhere.“He took out his phone.” |
| take in | To understand or absorb information.“It was a lot to take in.” |
| take apart | To separate into pieces.“He took the radio apart.” |
| take down | To write something, or remove it.“Take down my number.” |
| take part in | To join an activity.“She took part in the study.” |
| take care of | To look after, or to handle.“I'll take care of the booking.” |
| take away | To remove something from a place.“Please take away these empty cups.” |
| take aback | To surprise or shock someone.“Her direct question took me aback.” |
| take along | To bring someone or something with you.“Take an umbrella along in case it rains.” |
| take over from | To replace someone in a role or task.“Maya takes over from Ben next month.” |
| take it out on | To treat someone badly because you are upset.“Don't take it out on your colleagues.” |
| take to | To begin to like someone or something.“The children quickly took to their teacher.” |
| take against | To begin to dislike someone.“He took against the idea immediately.” |
| take aside | To move someone away for a private talk.“My manager took me aside after lunch.” |
| take away from | To reduce the value or effect of something.“The noise took away from the performance.” |
| take back to | To make someone remember an earlier time.“That song takes me back to school.” |
| take through | To explain a process step by step.“She took us through the new system.” |
| take upon oneself | To accept responsibility without being asked.“He took it upon himself to organise everything.” |
| take up with | To discuss a problem with someone responsible.“I'll take the issue up with support.” |
Useful learning tips
- Learn in small groupsTake five words at a time and review them before adding more.
- Say the examples aloudReading each sentence aloud connects spelling, sound and meaning.
- Write your own sentenceUse each word in a true sentence about your life or work.
How to study this list
Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.
Studying phrasal verbs with take pairs well with our phrasal verbs with get, essential phrasal verbs list and business English vocabulary, or browse all free English word lists.
Related guides
Questions about this list
How can I practise Phrasal verbs with TAKE?
Start with five words and say each example aloud. Then recall the word from its meaning and review it over several days.
Where can I use Phrasal verbs with TAKE?
Conversation, work English and news.
How many words are in this list?
This list contains 25 English words with definitions and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete syllabus.
Turn this list into flashcards
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