to take the initiative
22
3.8
- phrasal verb
:
tomar la iniciativa
- It's important to take the initiative at work if you want to lead your team effectively.
- took the initiative to pursue
- took the initiative to create
- taking the initiative to deal
It's quite easy, but you've got to take the initiative and know your numbers.
- It's quite easy, but you've got to take the initiative and know your numbers.
- And at the same time, I love when parents take the initiative.
- Be a, you know, just take the initiative.
- Antitrust should take the initiative to control the size of the big tech companies.
- And it was about self-reliance and making sure that you can take the initiative and you can depend on yourself.
- And it's just that the women have not taken the initiative or don't know where to go to learn about money.
- You are critiquing them for this kind of thoughtfulness, critical thinking, and then action and taking the initiative and being on the offense.
Examples
-
It's quite easy, but you've got to take the initiative and know your numbers.
-
Non-governmental organizations are taking the initiative in demanding higher standards of human rights observance in sub-Saharan Africa.
Academic text (1992) -
We're gonna take the initiative.
-
The kids took the initiative themselves.
-
You take the initiative, make a story out of it.
-
I took the initiative, sir.
-
For that to happen, though, either he or one of his parents had to take the initiative.
Fiction book (2002) -
Greg, I think it's great that you took the initiative to learn something new.
-
I'm impressed that you took the initiative to go there and get it.
Fiction book (2001) -
Larry and I took the initiative and invited two outstanding specialists from the Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia.
Synonyms
79
3.2
To start guiding a group or activity and make the main decisions
21
3.2
To take action that causes events or results
16
2.8
To start a meeting or project by taking the first step
9
6.8
To act before others to get an advantage
1
7.7
To take the lead in a group or activity and get others to follow
To offer to take charge of a group or task
Antonyms
How Proactive
- UK
1
7.7
22
3.8
169
1.4
776
2.8
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
take + the + initiative
The meaning 'to be the first person to act' is directly derivable from 'take' (assume or seize) + 'initiative' (readiness/proactiveness); together they denote assuming the role of initiator. This is a common, predictable collocation with clear parallels in other languages (e.g., prendre/tomar la iniciativa), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Take the initiative comes from a simple image: to take a step forward and grab the initiative, the start of action. So, when you 'take the initiative' you are 'the first person to act'.