What does took mean?
Took is the irregular simple past and past participle of take, and it carries nearly the same range of meanings as the full verb. Depending on context, it can describe grabbing or carrying something away, receiving or accepting it, attending an event, undertaking a task, understanding an explanation, consuming food or medicine, or beginning to move. Its sense is therefore often established by the nouns and phrases around it rather than by the word alone. “Took place” means occurred, “took over” means assumed control, and “took off” can mean departed rapidly or became popular. Took is not limited by register, but some uses, such as “took the bait,” can sound conversational or informal. Its irregularity makes it especially memorable: English pairs the short, familiar form took with the very different participle taken, reflecting the word’s historical development within Germanic.
verbTook is the irregular simple past tense and past participle of take. Depending on context, it can mean seized or carried away, received or accepted, attended or undertook, understood, consumed, or began moving.
- Received, accepted, or obtained.
- Understood, believed, or accepted as true.
- Seized, grabbed, or carried away.
- Attended, joined, or participated in.
- Consumed, as food, drink, medicine, or another substance.
"The committee took the proposal under review and postponed its decision."
"The delegation took the concerns of local residents seriously."
"The train took twenty minutes to reach the next station."
One of English's most familiar verbs has one of its most irregular pasts: take became took, while its partner became taken.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does took come from?
Took is the irregular past-tense and past-participle form of take. The verb take descends from Old English niman and was influenced by Old Norse taka; Middle English developed the preterite form tok, now took, while the participle taken was shaped by Scandinavian usage. Together, took and taken preserve the irregular alternation characteristic of the word's Germanic history. Close Germanic relatives include Dutch nemen and German nehmen, although their exact past forms differ.
How took is actually used
Took is standard in formal and informal English, although contexts such as “took the bait” may sound conversational. Its meaning is highly dependent on the surrounding nouns, verbs, and prepositions. There is no substantial British–American difference in its standard forms or meanings.
Easily confused with took
Took is the simple past form of take, as in “She took the photograph,” while take is the base form used after modal verbs and in the infinitive.
Took and tuck have different meanings and are not inflections of one another; tuck means to fold or place something snugly, while took is the past form of take.
Took is the past form of take, whereas taught is the past form of teach; the words may sound similar in some accents but have different meanings and vowel sounds.