1
as in substituting
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
Relevance
2
as in assuming
to take to or upon oneself
took over the responsibility of caring for the animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in seizing
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
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Recent Examples of taking over
Those who aren’t taking over the whole place and enjoy more of a scene can flit over in the island’s speedboat to neighboring Hurawalhi, with its buzzy bar, big gym, and underwater restaurant.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Thomson led Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after taking over for Girardi, losing to the Houston Astros in six games.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Denver Mountain Parks will staff the welcome station at Echo Lake and manage the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, taking over that role from the Arapaho National Forest.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
With it, new media began taking over the arts’ function of representing reality.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Cushing rejoined the board in 2025, taking over Brandon Wright’s seat after his resignation.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Daniel Radcliffe, the original Harry Potter in the movies, has given his blessing to the series and wished McLaughlin well in taking over the role.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Popular local bakery chain Estelle Bakery & Patisserie is set to expand into a new location, taking over the space at 400 Iron Point Road.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Republicans are instead taking over the floor with their own speeches, proceeding under regular order but operating outside the normal time limits that are customary when debating legislation.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Apr. 2026
Thomson led Philadelphia to the 2022 World Series after taking over for Girardi, losing to the Houston Astros in six games.
—Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Denver Mountain Parks will staff the welcome station at Echo Lake and manage the Mount Blue Sky Recreation Area, taking over that role from the Arapaho National Forest.
—John Meyer, Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2026
With it, new media began taking over the arts’ function of representing reality.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
Cushing rejoined the board in 2025, taking over Brandon Wright’s seat after his resignation.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Daniel Radcliffe, the original Harry Potter in the movies, has given his blessing to the series and wished McLaughlin well in taking over the role.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Popular local bakery chain Estelle Bakery & Patisserie is set to expand into a new location, taking over the space at 400 Iron Point Road.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Mar. 2026
Republicans are instead taking over the floor with their own speeches, proceeding under regular order but operating outside the normal time limits that are customary when debating legislation.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taking over
Verb
-
Farke responded by substituting Bijol for Joe Rodon, who was much more confident in carrying the ball forward, and James Justin for Stach.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With a razor-thin majority, the Speaker can afford to lose only two GOP votes on any party-line bill, assuming that all members are present and Democrats are united in opposition.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jaden McDaniels and the Minnesota Timberwolves flexed even more of their defensive muscle against the flagging Denver Nuggets, seizing a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series with a dominant 113-96 victory on Thursday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Multiple videos show a masked federal agent seizing a 57-year-old woman, who says she was put in a chokehold, during the protest in Durango.—
Morgan Lee,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And there’s nothing like the disorienting effect of standing in darkness in an unfamiliar place to quicken the senses and sharpen the ear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Such an agreement would require battling — and even dismantling — an entrenched and incompetent bureaucracy to speed up economic reforms, and getting rid of old-school historic commanders and everyone else in the government, the Communist Party and the top military echelons standing in the way.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Seizing Opportunity for Operational Success Rather than accepting the state of the industry, Kamboj recognized an opportunity.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Just after accepting a third-option role behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, James was thrust back into the top spot when the star guards were injured April 2.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While some of the designs online vary, essentially a bed will come down from the ceiling on top of the couch on a conveyor belt system, converting the space, according to Ori’s website.—
Desiree Mathurin
April 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Apr. 2026
-
With the latest update, S0 now integrates visual input from onboard stereo cameras, converting RGB images into a 3D spatial representation of the surroundings.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Saturday, conditions look mainly dry to start, with rain filling in by the afternoon hours.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The whole neighborhood is compact and walkable, with patios, cafés, and seasonal events like Yorkville Murals filling in the gaps.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
During the last legislative session, lawmakers debated stricter rules to protect other electricity ratepayers from shouldering costs, but did not approve any of the bills focused on data centers.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Brodin and Spurgeon still have that shutdown magic together, despite shouldering a tough workload.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Taking over.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taking%20over. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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