take sth up
— phrasal verb with take uk/teɪk/us/teɪk/verb took, taken
(FILL)
B2 to fill an amount of space or time:
This desk takes up too much room.
Too much of this report is taken up with out-of-date numbers.
More examples
- Half the letter is taken up with her complaining about her neighbours.
- Most of the garage space is taken up with his music kit.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Filling and completing
- brick
- brick up sth
- brim
- crowd
- crowd sb/sth out
- fill
- jam
- occupancy
- occupy
- overcrowded
- overran
- overrun
- plug
- round
- suffuse
- supersaturated
- tank
- tank up
- top sb up
- top sth up
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(START)
B1 to start doing a particular job or activity:
He's taken up the position of supervisor.
[ + -ing verb ] Have you ever thought of taking up acting?
Patti took up (= continued) the story where Sue had left off.
take up office
UK US take office to start an official job:
The minister took up office in December.
More examples
- I'm thinking of taking up tai chi.
- He took up embroidery to pass the time.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Starting and beginning
- be in the first flush of idiom
- become
- begin
- branch out
- break into sth
- export
- ground
- incipient
- initiator
- instate
- introduce
- kick
- kick-start
- strike
- swing into action idiom
- touch sth off
- train
- trigger
- wade in
- weave
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Taking part and getting involved
Applying for a job
(DISCUSS)
to discuss something or deal with something:
The school took the matter up with the police.
UK I'd like to take you up on your sales figures for June.
UK A leading law firm took up his case.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Debate & discussion
- arena
- compare
- conciliate
- dialectic
- float around
- fly
- fly around
- get down to business idiom
- kick sth around
- negotiable
- negotiate
- parley
- reason with sb
- reasoning
- sophistry
- speak
- talk sth out
- talk sth over
- toss
- weigh in
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(CLOTHING)
to make a piece of clothing, such as a skirt or trousers, shorter
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Knitting & sewing
- appliqué
- backing
- baste
- bind
- bobbin
- bodkin
- cable stitch
- handknitted
- hem
- knit
- knitter
- knitting
- needle
- seamstress
- sew sth up
- sewing
- sewing machine
- shorten
- spinner
- tack
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