TAKE OVER

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does take over mean? 

• TAKE OVER (verb)
  The verb TAKE OVER has 8 senses:

1. seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession

2. take on titles, offices, duties, responsibilities

3. free someone temporarily from his or her obligations

4. take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person

5. take over ownership of; of corporations and companies

6. do over

7. take up and practice as one's own

8. take up, as of debts or payments

  Familiarity information: TAKE OVER used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TAKE OVER (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

arrogate; assume; seize; take over; usurp

Context example:

She seized control of the throne after her husband died

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

take (take by force)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "take over"):

annex (take (territory) as if by conquest)

appropriate; capture; conquer; seize (take possession of by force, as after an invasion)

preoccupy (occupy or take possession of beforehand or before another or appropriate for use in advance)

hijack (seize control of)

raid (take over (a company) by buying a controlling interest of its stock)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

takeover (a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take on titles, offices, duties, responsibilities

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

adopt; assume; take on; take over

Context example:

When will the new President assume office?

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

take office (assume an office, duty, or title)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "take over"):

resume (assume anew)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 3

Meaning:

Free someone temporarily from his or her obligations

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

relieve; take over

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

discharge; free (free from obligations or duties)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "take over"):

spell (relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 4

Meaning:

Take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

accept; assume; bear; take over

Context example:

She agreed to bear the responsibility

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

take (take into one's possession)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "take over"):

carry the can; face the music (accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Take over ownership of; of corporations and companies

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

buy out; buy up; take over

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

buy; purchase (obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

takeover (a change by sale or merger in the controlling interest of a corporation)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Do over

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

repeat; take over

Context example:

They would like to take it over again

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 7

Meaning:

Take up and practice as one's own

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

adopt; borrow; take over; take up

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

accept; have; take (receive willingly something given or offered)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Sense 8

Meaning:

Take up, as of debts or payments

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

absorb; take over

Context example:

absorb the costs for something

Hypernyms (to "take over" is one way to...):

fund (furnish money for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

Transplanted islet cells, however, can take over the work of the destroyed cells.

(Islet Cell Transplantation, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

The actions you take over an eclipse are vital for your future—this is no ordinary full moon, and you seem to have news to share.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The team found that the actions of these different immune cell types did not overlap and that blocking the activity of one did not cause the other to take over.

(Scientists watch the brain’s lining heal after a head injury, National Institutes of Health)

When should I take over my new duties?

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“By my ten finger bones! when I hang bow on nail and change my brigandine for a tunic, I might do worse than take over the dame and her business.”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A company hired by another company or research center to take over certain parts of running a clinical trial.

(Contract Research Organization, NCI Dictionary)

As the corals die off, the algae have even more space to take over, leading to further coral mortality.

(Too much algae and too many microbes threaten coral reefs, NSF)

Back came an answer by return, saying that if I would appear next Monday I might take over my new duties at once, provided that my appearance was satisfactory.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)