Non-Physical Actions (Take): English Vocabulary List

to rest or sleep for a short period of time during the day

"I will take a nap after lunch."

"After working on the project all morning I need to take a short nap."

to enroll and participate in an educational program or lesson

"I plan to take a Spanish class."

"I decided to take a photography class at the community college because I love taking pictures."

to choose from existing options or alternatives

"The manager took a difficult decision."

"The committee needs to take a decision about the budget before the end of the week."

to go on vacation or take time off from work or daily activities to relax and enjoy leisure activities

"Let's take a holiday next month."

"The exhausted worker decided to take a holiday in Spain to relax and forget about work for a while."

to learn or improve a skill through a class or guidance

"I want to take a lesson."

"She decided to take a lesson in painting because she wanted to improve her artistic skills."

to use a device like a camera or cellphone to capture an image of something or someone

"Let's take a picture."

"Please take a picture of the beautiful sunset before it disappears completely."

to temporarily stop physical or mental activity in order to relax and regain energy

"You should take a rest."

"After climbing the mountain for four hours we stopped to take a rest and eat some sandwiches."

to respond to a series of questions designed to gather information, opinions, or feedback on a specific topic or subject

"The company took a survey of its employees."

"The market research company asked customers to take a survey about their shopping habits and preferences."

to stop working or doing an activity temporarily in order to rest, relax, etc.

"Let's take a break for ten minutes."

"Let us take a break from work and go for a short walk outside to get some fresh air."

to go on a journey for enjoyment or exploration

"We took a trip to the mountains."

"My parents are planning to take a trip to Italy next summer to visit the famous historical sites."

to start a legal process against someone or something to resolve a dispute

"I will take you to court."

"The family decided to take their neighbour to court over the property boundary dispute."

to share opportunities or responsibilities with others in a fair and orderly manner

"Let us take turns."

"The children decided to take turns on the swing so that everyone would get a fair chance."

to firmly hold a position or opinion on an issue, often for moral, ethical, or social reasons

"It is time to take a stand."

"The activist decided to take a stand against climate change by protesting in front of the government building."

to make a rough estimate or prediction, especially when one does not have complete or precise information

"Take a guess, how old am I?"

"I have no idea what the answer is but I will take a guess anyway because I have nothing to lose."

to look at something for a brief time

"Let's have a gander."

"Could you just take a gander at this report and tell me if anything seems out of place?"

used to show that one does not care if one's offer is accepted or rejected one will not negotiate further

"The price is final — take it or leave it."

"After weeks of back-and-forth, the supplier presented a final figure and said take it or leave it, with no room for further negotiation."

to experience a sudden setback, failure, or decline

"The stock market took a tumble today."

"The old man took a tumble on the icy pavement and broke his wrist."

to act in a way that is overly familiar or inappropriate without permission or proper authority

"The reporter took liberties with the facts."

"The reporter took liberties with the truth when writing the article to make it more exciting."

to not go to work or school for a certain period of time to take care of personal matters or recharge one's energy and focus

"I need time off."

"She decided to take some time off from her demanding job to travel and explore new cultures."

to borrow money from a bank or financial institution that must be paid back, usually with an extra amount added

"I need to take out a loan for college."

"We had to take out a loan from the bank to pay for the expensive car repairs."