takes over

verb

present tense third-person singular of take over
1
as in substitutes
to serve as a replacement usually for a time only I'll take over for her until she gets back from her morning break

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in shoulders
to take to or upon oneself took over the responsibility of caring for the animals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in seizes
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right students protesting the war took over the college's radio station

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of takes over Mike Boynton, a former assistant on May’s staff, takes over a Michigan team that returns Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney from its national championship team. — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026 Some leaders argue that AI could end up making those human skills more valuable, predicting a renaissance in soft skills as the technology takes over rote work. — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Baiz takes over for longtime ARC head coach Jon Osterhout, now the assistant athletic director and chief of staff of Sacramento State’s football program, his alma mater. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Lee Munn takes over as Southlake Carroll’s first new head coach since 2018, replacing Riley Dodge and inheriting a program still chasing its first state title since 2011. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026 On weekends, Nelson takes over, giving Aikman opportunities to practice his skills and experience the sights, sounds and distractions of everyday life in the community. — Nelly Carreño, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 Once those tickets get purchased, though, the market takes over. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 John Ternus takes over in September, in the same weeks the foldable ships and the memory bill lands. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Graves said recruiting and retaining officers remains one of the biggest challenges facing whoever takes over for her, along with continuing to embrace technology and modern policing. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for takes over
  1. substitutes
  2. shoulders
  3. seizes
  4. stands in
  5. assumes
  6. grabs
  7. fills in
  8. accepts
Verb
  • Then, with one click of a Copy button, the website quietly substitutes a command that could put your Mac at risk.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This approach substitutes information for sensation, and reduces both human and supra-human experiences to the level of data.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of substitutes
Verb
  • Mary Amiti, Sebastian Heise and David Weinstein looked at who shoulders the cost of the tariffs, examining which part of the tariff reaches consumers through higher prices versus which share of the price hike is due to other factors.
    — Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Elordi nearly shoulders the running time but plays his Hig a bit too humbly.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shoulders
Verb
  • Sid is smart enough to sniff this out, and the show seizes the opportunity to raise the romantic stakes through an adorably British expression of mutual libidinousness.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • That reporting revealed that the state frequently seizes money from legal settlements stemming from medical malpractice, police brutality, workplace injury and other wrongful death lawsuits.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of seizes
Verb
  • That rare show of unity among rivals stands in sharp contrast with Thiel’s view that the push to slow AI down is not caution but something closer to evil.
    — Sasha Tuddenham, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • That stands in direct contrast to attackers such as Fernandes, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, who prefer to move the ball forward quickly.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of stands in
Verb
  • In our example of the pond, simply comparing the number of possibilities assumes that each stone emits a wave independently.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • For any executive whose roadmap assumes compute capacity coming online on schedule, that is now a line item.
    — Zev Laine, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of assumes
Verb
  • If anyone who is hired to MC one of the largest events in golf grabs a microphone and joins in on ‘f you’ chants directed at a player in the event you're being paid to be a part of, that person is undoubtedly being fired, regardless of gender.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The suspect runs inside, grabs rolls of lottery tickets, stuffs them into a bag and runs out.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of grabs
Verb
  • Sherman, Maine — Behind the steering wheel of his silver pickup, Scott Bates fills in the blanks with numbers.
    — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Seyfried, now literally playing a character in playing Holmes, also fills in for moments that Oppenheim didn’t or couldn’t record.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of fills in
Verb
  • That Kushner even managed to secure agrément, whereby a state accepts a foreign ambassador’s nomination, was a little miracle of American hegemony.
    — Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Who accepts the remaining risk, and when will it be reviewed?
    — Aliasgar Dohadwala, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of accepts

Browse Nearby Words

takes out
takes over
takes ship
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Cite this Entry

“Takes over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/takes%20over. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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