to take heart
11
4.5
- phrasal verb
- /teɪk hɑrt/
:
animarse
- As severe as the last two losses were, anyone down about them can take heart tonight.
And I will say this, even in the horror of this day, there was reason to take heart in bipartisan responses like this.
- And I will say this, even in the horror of this day, there was reason to take heart in bipartisan responses like this.
- And then the back of it says have faith, take heart, be still, and know all things work together for good.
Examples
-
The Sudeten Germans, for their part, took heart from Havel's words and pressed to negotiate their grievances directly with Prague.
Academic text (2001) -
By the late 1920s, chicken production throughout the wiregrass region increased, and railroad officials took heart.
Academic text (2007) -
Watch me and take heart by my example.
-
You may take heart now.
-
Like most troops on both sides in the war, the common soldiers took heart from the example their officers set.
Fiction book (1992) -
Activists in L.A. can take heart from the recent turn of events.
Blog text (23) -
I know times have been hard, but take heart, You'll always have a home here with me.
-
The polls look discouraging, but I take heart from your report.
Blog text (17) -
And I will say this, even in the horror of this day, there was reason to take heart in bipartisan responses like this.
-
If you are feeling down, take heart; things will get better soon.
Synonyms
40
6.3
To give someone courage to do something
14
6.3
To become or make someone more cheerful and confident
13
5.5
Make someone feel happier or more confident
8
3.9
To make someone feel happier
8
6.5
To stay cheerful and hopeful when things go wrong
Antonyms
How Encouraged
1
4.0
11
4.5
- Informal
234
1.4
- Informal
16
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to become encouraged' is a metaphorical extension of 'heart' (courage/emotion) combined with 'take' (assume or adopt a state), so a learner who knows both words can often infer the sense but only by recognizing the figurative use. This connection is not purely literal and relies on a conventional heart-as-courage metaphor, so it is partially predictable rather than fully transparent.
Etymology
Take heart comes from the old idea that the heart is the place where courage lives and to take it means to take that courage into yourself. So, to take heart today means 'to become encouraged' or to feel braver when things are hard.