take for

verb

took for; taken for; taking for; takes for
Synonyms of take fornext

transitive verb

: to suppose (someone) to be (a particular kind of person) : to perceive (someone) as (something)
What do you take me for?
"I think I do understand. I'm not such a dull fellow as you take me for."—Lucy Maud Montgomery
… a usually commonsensical fellow who was anything but the … clod some people took him for.—Robert Sherrill
Please do not take me for a wimp—one of those pallid, selfless creatures who shuns disagreements entirely.—Maggie Scarf

Examples of take for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In more than two dozen interviews in the Latino-majority region, voters say they are driven less by party loyalty and more by frustrations that they have been taken for granted, and want to elect politicians who take their votes seriously. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 In an onstage conversation with the endowment’s CEO, Damon Wilson, Díaz-Balart said Americans can take for granted freedoms other societies have lost. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 Those photographs that were taken for medical purposes ended up on social media and the hospital responsible paid him $20,000 in compensation. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 No one wants to be typecast as cute, especially not someone who started acting at the age of nine, when cuteness is taken for granted. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for take for

Word History

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of take for was in 1535

Cite this Entry

“Take for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20for. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on take for

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster