taking on

present participle of take on
1
as in facing
to enter into contest or conflict with will take on his chief opponent in the next political debate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

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 taking on There is less emphasis on taking on the creative burden himself. Cerys Jones, New York Times, 29 June 2026 Old school computer gamers will be intimately familiar with the dungeon crawler genre, popularized by games like Wizardry and Eye of the Beholder, which involves moving in first-person on a grid, taking on monsters, finding treasure and delving deeper into a labyrinth. Jason Bennett, Arkansas Online, 28 June 2026 Kudos to Scott Maxwell for taking on Orange County Major Jerry Demings over plans to yet again squander a small fortune of local tax dollars on boondoggle tourism projects. Mike Thomas, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026 The PayPal survey found that one in three Gen Z adults is taking on more work to afford their trips. Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 22 June 2026 On Sunday, there’s a World Cup debutant taking on a powerhouse, two dark horses meeting in Texas, and two matchups that have plenty of intrigue despite flying under the radar a little bit. Ben Church, CNN Money, 14 June 2026 With the recent expense of the new house, Alysha was worried about taking on another large financial commitment. Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 7 June 2026 McCaul also raised alarm about the timing of Pulte taking on the role, which comes just before America 250 celebrations and the 2026 World Cup games. Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026 At this point, is there anything Congress can do to stop him from taking on this role? CBS News, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking on
Verb
  • While portals offer a vital communication channel for patients facing long appointment wait times, the cognitive load on physicians is immense.
    Forbes.com, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The Education Department’s civil rights office had long been the last resort for parents who believe their child is facing discrimination at school, with a mandate to review all complaints.
    Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Mizuho Americas analyst Dan Dolev told the Journal that the majority of these cuts probably trace to a post-pandemic hiring correction rather than AI itself.
    Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • An American brand can open a local Hong Kong dollar account, a Vietnamese dong account, or a Portuguese euro account without ever setting up a foreign legal entity, leasing an office or hiring a single local employee.
    Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • And mortgage rates won’t go down until government debts and deficits go down — since the housing market competes for borrowing with the federal government.
    Andy Harris, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2026
  • Production runs from a Los Angeles home base plus two traveling studios that move to the best matches each day, borrowing the fanfest grammar of Big Noon Kickoff.
    Maureen Kerr, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • Their lives gradually shift after meeting No Yeong-ju, an optimistic singing instructor played by Im Ji-eun, whose positive outlook encourages both women to confront their past.
    Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The warning is the second issued by UCSB police since May, when an 18-year-old freshman reported she was raped and strangled after meeting a man at a Sigma Pi fraternity party before returning to her dorm at Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • The case garnered national interest because Oregon's new law targets the loopholes large staffing firms have been employing to circumvent state corporate medicine laws.
    Alex Olgin, NPR, 3 July 2026
  • The metaphor of a ‘wall of separation’ At the same time, religious reformers were employing concepts of walls, hedges or other barriers to ensure that the secular and religious realms remained apart.
    Steven K. Green, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Not Respecting Shrines and Temples Most Japanese people have a very loose relationship to religion compared to some Westerners, adopting practices from Buddhism, Shinto, and even Christianity.
    Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2026
  • During the past decade, underwriters have pushed buzzy tech companies into adopting more staggered or shortened release dates for insiders to sell their shares, some even contingent on earnings or stock-price increases to dampen the flow.
    Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • Here, Amer plays a fictional version of himself, a Palestinian refugee who is trying to get legal status while encountering personal and professional roadblocks at every turn.
    Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026
  • Conditions can shift rapidly, even in summer, with climbers encountering ice, rockfall and limited visibility within hours.
    James Ward, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Now, the Twins run baseball operations and Masubuchi has retired from recruiting.
    Anya Armentrout, Twin Cities, 4 July 2026
  • The group plans on recruiting 50,000 volunteers and is actively fundraising to pass the measure.
    Ben Paviour July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026

Cite this Entry

“Taking on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20on. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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