We're taking off! Phrasal Verbs with TAKE

In this post we’re going to look at English phrasal verbs formed with the very common verb take.

The plane takes off in five minutes.

Take off of course has a literal, prepositional meaning, along the lines of remove. It’s commonly used with clothes, but it can be used more broadly to mean remove anything from a place or surface. It can also mean to reduce the price of something.

It’s warm; I’m going to take off my jacket.
Can you please help me take the dishes off the table?
Take all of your trash off the beach!
The store is taking 25% off of all their sweaters.

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As a phrasal verb, take off means leave a place. It’s used with planes and other flying vehicles, but it’s also used with people in an idiomatic sense meaning to leave or depart.

Hurry! The plane takes off in a few minutes!
The helicopter took off from the roof of the hospital.
It’s getting late. I’m going to take off and go home.

Take off also means to become very successful or popular.

Mary’s first book wasn’t very popular, but her second book really took off.
The restaurant struggled at first, but it’s really taken off this year.
The party didn’t take off until after midnight, but then it was really wild.

He takes after his mother.

If you take after someone, typically a parent, you have a similar personality, a similar character, similar interests, or similar looks.

Does your daughter take after you or your wife?
You really take after your father. You’re both sore losers!
I take after my mother in many ways, but I look more like my father.

I’m going to take up a language in the new year.

To take up something means to begin learning it. It’s often used with hobbies, sports, musical instruments, languages, or anything else that you spend time enjoying or learning.

Bob is going to take up French, because he wants to go to Paris next year.
The neighbor’s son has taken up drums, so it’s a bit noisy sometimes!
Everyone seems to be taking up pickle ball these days.

Take up also means use or occupy, as in time or space. When used with clothes, usually pants, it means to shorten.

My bedroom is tiny, so my bed takes up most of the space.
I don’t want to take up all of your time, but I have a quick question.
These pants are too long for me. I need to have them taken up a bit.

Take up also has a literal prepositional meaning, meaning to bring something to a higher position, for example upstairs.

Can you help me take these boxes up to the attic?
I need to take the groceries up to my apartment.

I’ll take you up on your offer!

If you take someone up on something, you accept it. The “it” is usually an offer of help or some other benefit: money, a meal, time, etc.

She took me up on my offer to help her move, and now I have to carry a sofa!
If you’re offering to cook dinner, I’ll take you up on it!
I’m getting tired. I’ll take you up on your offer to drive for a while, and I’ll sleep.

You need to take that up with the boss.

If you take something up with someone, you go to them for a decision or some other authority.

If you’re not happy with your work schedule, you need to take that up with your supervisor.
I can’t change the rules. If you disagree, please take it up with management.
Barbara thought her grade was unfair, so she took it up with her professor.

Take me out to the ball game.

Take out has a prepositional meaning, literally to take something out of a space or position.

I need to take out the trash. It’s starting to smell.
The dentist took out my wisdom teeth when I was a teenager.
She took her keys out of her bag and locked the door.

If you take a book out of a library, you borrow it. If you take a person out (to dinner, on a date, etc.) your bring or invite them to a social event.

Jerry takes a lot of books out of his local library.
We took the kids out to a ball game.
Can I take you out to dinner some evening?

To take out money means to withdraw it from a bank account. To take out insurance means to purchase a policy.

Is there an ATM nearby? I need to take out some cash.
Lisa is thinking about taking out a life insurance policy.

The truly phrasal meaning of take (a person) out is dark; it means to kill or murder.

The police took out the shooter before he murdered anyone.
You can’t joke about taking out politicians you disagree with.

Don’t take it out on me! It’s not my fault!

If you take something out on someone, you blame them unfairly and show your anger or disatisfaction to them even though they’re innocent.

If you had a bad day at work, don’t take it out on your family.
When Sarah’s angry with her friends, she takes it out on her boyfriend.
Why are you taking your anger out on me? I haven’t done anything to you!

Try not to take on more than you can handle.

If you take something on, you make yourself responsible for it, you agree to do it.

I took on a big project at work, and I’m a bit worried that it’s too much for me.
You’re always taking on too much. You should let other people help!
Bill said he’s going to repair the car himself, but I think he’s taken too much on.

To take a person on can have two meanings. In the context of a company, it means to hire someone.

We’ve been short-staffed, but we’re taking on two new employees next week.
Janet is taking on a new administrative assistant.
I just got a new job. A really cool start-up took me on.

To take someone on can also mean to choose to fight or argue with them.

Whenever John drinks too much, he takes on guys who are much bigger than he is.
Don’t bother trying to argue with Michelle. You shouldn’t take her on.
Never take on someone who’s stronger than you are!

I can’t take this in right now.

To take in has two different meanings, depending on whether you take someone or something in. If you take a person (or animal) in, you offer them a place to live.

When I needed a place to live, my friends took me in.
My family has just taken in my cousin while her parents are doing field work.
Our neighbor takes in every stray cat in the neighborhood. She’s got twelve cats now!

If you take something in, you understand it, or you process it mentally and emotionally.

I’m really struggling in calculus. I just can’t take it in.
My girlfriend’s parents are getting a divorce, and she’s having a hard time taking it all in.
Can we talk about this tomorrow? I’m too tired to take it in tonight.

I’m going to take down your number.

If take something down, you write it, for example in a notebook or on a piece of paper.

The students all took down notes as the professor spoke.
Did you take down the license plate of the car that bumped into you?
If you’re reading an article in a new language, it’s important to take down unfamiliar vocabulary.

To take something down also has a more literal meaning: to disassemble or to put away something that is standing or hanging.

It’s January 5^th. We really need to take down the Christmas tree!
We always take the Halloween decorations down on November 1^st.
When we saw how bad the rain would be, we took the tent down and went to a hotel.

We always take our dogs along on vacation.

To take someone or something along means to bring them or it with you.

Jill always takes her laptop along with her on vacation.
We’re taking our niece and nephew along with us when we go to Japan.
If you take me along to the store I can help you carry the groceries home.

The cats are really taking to their new toys.

To take to something means to get used to something and begin to like it. This phrasal verb is used in the idiomatic expression “like a duck takes to water,” which means very easily and naturally.

I bought new shoes but I haven’t really taken to them yet.
Rob has really taken to the piano since he started lessons last month.
The kids have taken to the new dog like a duck takes to water.

Let me take over for you.

To take something over means to take ownership or responsibilty for something, or to take control of something.

Bob takes over every single conversation he’s a part of.
You’ve been working hard all day. Why don’t you let me take over for a bit?
When the teacher got sick, a new teacher took over for him.

It’s your turn to speak. Take it away!

To take something away has a literal prepositional meaning: to remove something and bring it somewhere else.

The server came and took our dishes away after we finished the meal.
I called someone to come take away our old furniture.

But the phrase take… away also has a few common idiomatic uses that you’re likely to hear. If you tell someone to take (it) away, you’re inviting them to begin speaking or working.

After Mary introduced the team, she asked the first speaker to take it away.
Is everyone ready? Okay, take it away!

As a noun, a takeaway is a main point that you’ve learned, for example from a meeting, conversation, article, and so on.

The main takeaway from the meeting was that we need to cut costs.
Have you read the article? What were the takeaways?

The mechanic took my engine apart.

To take something apart means to separate it into smaller components or pieces.

When Lisa was a girl she took watches and clocks apart to see how they worked.
You need to take that sofa apart before you’ll be able to remove it from the apartment.
Why are you taking your computer apart? Do you know how to put it back together?

I wish I could take back my words.

If you take something back, you reclaim it, you take possession of something that you have given to someone else. Figuratively, you if you want to take back your words or a comment that you’ve made, you wish you had never said it.

My neighbor loaned me his lawn mower, but he needs to take it back this weekend.
You can’t just take a gift back that you’ve given to someone!
I’m sorry I said that. It was unfair, and I take it back.

The related expression to be taken aback means to be surprised or emotionally affected by something that you’ve seen or heard. If you’re taken aback by something, or if something takes you aback, you can’t respond to it right away because you’re in mild shock.

John was taken aback when his boss told him that he wasn’t working hard enough.
I was really taken aback by the directness of her questions.
The news of the crimes took everyone aback.

Do you take me for a fool?

If you take someone or something for X, you believe that person or thing is X.

Everyone takes Paul for an idiot, but he’s actually very smart.
You think I’m going to believe that stupid story? What do you take me for?
Don’t take kindness for weakness. They’re not the same thing.

If someone takes you for an amount of money, they unfairly charge you for something, or they trick you out of that money.

Online scammers took my uncle for $500.
The used car dealership took me for $7,500 for a piece of garbage!

Can you take me through your proposal?

If you take someone through something, you explain it to them step by step.

Sue asked the contractor to take her through his invoice charge by charge.
I don’t understand your theory. Can you take me through it again?
The investigator asked the witness to take him through the events she witnessed.

My neighbor took it upon himself to cut down my tree.

If you take something upon yourself, or if you take it upon yourself to do something, you decide to do it on your own without permission or agreement, or without discussing it with anyone else first.

Melissa took it upon herself to order all of the food for the party without discussing it with us.
You can’t just take it upon yourself to make that decision alone!
If I don’t hear from you about you schedule, I’ll take it upon myself to organize everything.

The coach took the player aside and asked him if anything was wrong.

If you take someone aside to discuss something, you approach someone separately, away from a larger group, usually to discuss something personal.

Don’t ask Frank about that in front of his colleagues. Take him aside and speak confidentially.
Linda took her son aside at the party and told him that he had to behave better.
My boss took me aside and asked me what I honestly thought about her proposal.

You can dish it out, but you can’t take it!

To be able to take it/something is an idiomatic expression that means that you can handle something. It’s not a phrasal verb, but it’s a very common use of the verb take. It’s often used in the negative, for example in the saying “you can dish it out, but you can’t take it.” This means that you can give something, for example criticism or teasing, but you can’t handle it if someone does it to you.

I could never live in Florida. I can’t take the heat!
Bill has never been able to take criticism. He gets very defensive.
You love teasing your sister, but when she teases you back, you can’t take it!

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