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to take

to take

1.7
Use a camera to create a photo or video
  • verb
  • /teɪk/
translation icon : fotografiar
  • Go find a good area to take a selfie in.
  • take a picture
  • take a photo
  • take photographs

The good news is we took this picture, right?

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Examples

  • During the family reunion, we all decided to take some photos in the park.

  • He asked me to take a picture of him next to the famous statue.

  • What do you want to take a picture of that for?

  • And all the photos I took that night were just like that.

  • How many photos did you take this morning?

  • Once you're done, show and tell, take a selfie and tag us.

  • She loves to take snapshots of her travels and share them online.

Synonyms

to film
vsto take
415 1.0

To record moving pictures with a camera to make a movie

is wider, including both still image creation and moving recording
to shoot
vsto take
397 3.2

To take a photograph or film

is the general act of creating still and moving camera captures
to photograph
vsto take
202 2.1

To take a picture of a person, place, or thing with a camera

is broader, covering both still images and moving recordings
to take a picture
vsto take
166 1.4

To make a photo using a camera

is more general and also covers creating moving recordings
to take photo
vsto take
136 1.0

To use a camera or phone to make a picture

also applies when making moving recordings, not only single shots

Idioms

67 6.8

To do something without asking for permission, as if you are allowed

61 4.0

About an amount that may be a little more or less

to take a hike
  • Informal
37 8.1

Tell someone to leave in a rude way

33 4.1

Make someone feel very surprised and unable to speak

To do the right thing and not respond angrily

to take a bullet
  • Informal
20 7.2

To accept pain or risk to protect another person

Politely say no now but suggest doing it another time

19 8.3

To refuse to answer questions in court to avoid saying something that could make you look guilty

Choose any one you want from the options

15 6.4

To accept something unpleasant so other people benefit

14 3.7

Bend forward to thank people who clap for you

to take a joke
  • Informal
14 3.3

To not be upset when someone makes a joke about you

to take the cake
  • Informal
14 7.6

The most extreme example, often surprising in a bad or silly way

12 3.1

A situation where people both accept and give up things to make an agreement

To lead an organization, group, or project

Make a brave decision even when it feels risky

to take a gander
  • Informal
10 8.2

To look quickly and casually at something you are curious about

9 4.6

An offer you cannot change that you must accept or refuse

To fall suddenly, for example by tripping or by losing value

7 8.2

Accept failure or criticism bravely without complaining

Stop paying attention to what is important

To accept some demands while giving up some of your own

6 5.2

Make a lot of effort and be careful about small details

5 6.6

To show respect and praise for someone and their achievements

Refuse to answer questions in court or by police to avoid saying you did something wrong

Begin attacking or acting aggressively to gain an advantage

to take a wife
  • Archaic
5 9.2

To marry a woman

5 6.1

Accept punishment or a bad result without complaining

To deal with a difficult problem directly and bravely

3 7.5

Do something slowly on purpose and without hurry

3 8.0

Get medical help for an illness or addiction

To not approve of something

3 9.9

To do very well and act confidently, often in a forceful way

Behave in a very foolish way without thinking clearly

Lead a meeting as the person in charge

Act in a less honest way to get an advantage

3 4.9

To understand and accept that someone's remark makes sense even if you do not agree

Leave a game or group angrily because you did not get your way

2 8.1

To accept unpleasant results and sometimes punishment for something you did

Get a lot of criticism or blame from other people

Be completely sure that something is true or will happen

Need to be brave to do something

to take a mile
  • Informal
1 8.4

Use a small favor to get much more

to take a pew
  • Archaic
1 9.8

To sit down, often on a church seat but also anywhere

To guess or try something without much information

1 9.9

A situation where people who should not lead control things and cause chaos

Join a convent and live as a nun

1 9.5

To tell someone rudely to leave

To keep going without giving up after facing many hard times

Copy what someone does to get the same results

To be the most annoying or surprising thing of all

To make someone lose the job or money they need to live

Phrasal Verbs

1.3

To look after a person or thing and deal with their needs

1.3

To look after someone or deal with a problem

Go with a person to bring them to a place

1.3

To look at something to check it or find information

1.5

To remove clothes or something from your body

1.8

Happen, especially when something is planned or scheduled

948 1.9

To remove something from a place or container

862 3.1

Begin to control someone else's job or project

795 2.3

To remove something from a place or reduce something important, for example a right

676 2.1

Return someone or something to the place they came from

637 4.9

Think something is true from what someone has said or shown

Think something is important and pay attention to it

to take it easy
  • Informal
572 2.5

Relax and avoid doing too much or worrying

To use a person or situation to get an unfair benefit for yourself

496 1.4

To stop doing something for a short time to rest or relax before continuing

478 1.9

To leave the ground and begin to fly

Use someone's trust or weakness to get something unfairly

405 2.8

To agree to do a job or task

341 3.1

To stop working for a short time

286 2.3

To need a long time to finish

273 3.2

To leave a place quickly, often to travel somewhere else

227 3.5

Start to have power and make decisions about something

224 3.4

To begin a job, activity, or hobby

222 3.8

Gain control of a company, organization, or government

217 3.1

To remove an amount from a total

To admit you caused a problem and accept the blame

184 4.1

Consider a fact or idea and include it when making a decision

179 3.5

To use a large part of time, space, or attention

173 2.3

To invite someone to go out with you for a date

171 4.1

To believe something is true without checking it

169 1.4

To join in an activity with other people

168 1.8

To be careful to avoid danger

To make a photo using a camera

161 2.8

To do something to solve a problem or make a change

to take back
  • Informal
148 3.1

Make someone remember a time from the past

146 3.6

Start to seem or show a particular quality

to take down
  • Informal
144 5.1

To say cruel things to make people think less of someone

138 5.0

To suffer a loss, for example in money or reputation

136 3.2

To remove something unwanted from a place

136 1.0

To use a camera or phone to make a picture

133 2.8

Compete against someone, for example in a sport or game

To think someone is a certain type of person, often wrongly

115 3.9

Begin a relationship again with someone after it ended

110 1.0

To wash and relax in a tub of warm water

107 3.8

To begin either to like someone or to do something regularly as a habit

Consider something when making a decision

Pull air slowly into your lungs to calm yourself

99 3.0

Get back something you had given, lent, or lost

Start to control a group or situation and lead others

Stop for a short time to think, rest or remember something

To do something risky hoping for a good result

87 3.4

Allow someone to live in your home when they need help

Begin work in an official job after being elected or appointed

86 3.0

To become successful or popular very quickly

To accept and follow directions from a person in charge

To start guiding a group or activity and make the main decisions

Start to work and produce a result

73 6.0

To speak in court as a witness about what you saw

69 3.4

Pay attention to something to remember or think about it

69 3.4

To move to a place that protects you from danger or bad weather

To breathe in and out once to calm yourself or prepare to speak

To stop looking at someone or something

to take forever
  • Informal
65 3.4

Lasts much longer than expected

61 3.5

Say that what you said before was wrong and you no longer believe it

60 3.4

To get an official document or permit from an office

57 1.8

Do something one after another, each person doing it in order

To go for a short drive to have fun and relax

56 3.2

Do things that might be dangerous to get something important

56 2.0

To lift something up, often with a spoon or tool

Go somewhere by bus

to take the fall
  • Informal
55 7.5

Accept blame or punishment, often instead of someone else

To pause and think again about a situation to see the bigger picture

to take a piss
  • Offensive
52 9.9

To pee in a rude way

Compounds

24 3.2

The main point to remember from a talk or meeting

10 3.4

Money you get after taxes and other deductions

double take
  • Informal
8 5.8

A quick look showing surprise after not noticing something at first

The money you keep after taxes and other payments are taken out

A friendly exchange of ideas and jokes

take-up
  • Specialized
2 7.2

A device or action that pulls in extra material, for example slack in a rope

1 3.5

The most important idea you learn from a talk or meeting

take-up
  • UK
1 4.1

How many people and how quickly they start to use something

1 2.3

Food prepared to be eaten somewhere else, not in the shop

A funny way of looking at a situation

take-in
  • Informal
7.7

A trick that cheats someone out of money or goods

4.4

Counting and checking the goods a shop or warehouse has

How Professional

to film
415 1.0
to photograph
202 2.1
to take
1.7
to snap
  • Informal
47 2.8

Surface Forms

take infinitive
taking present participle
takes third person singular
took past
taken past participle

Etymology

Take comes from the old Norse taka meaning 'to grab' or 'capture'. So to take a photo or video is to 'capture' a moment by recording it.