Expressions

English Expressions, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs | Meanings, Examples & Usage

Phrasal-verb Travel

to bring someone or something with you

"Don’t forget to take along your umbrella."

Phrasal-verb Debate

to criticize something in detail or dismantle an argument logically

"The moderator calmly took apart both sides’ arguments."

Phrasal-verb Learning

to remove something; to make someone learn or remember something

"What did you take away from the meeting?"

Phrasal-verb Learning

to learn or gain something valuable from an experience

"What did you take away from that experience?"

Phrasal-verb Communication

to admit that what you said was wrong; to retract something

"I take back what I said earlier."

Phrasal-verb Productivity

to pause from work for rest; to stop temporarily for relaxation

"You should take breaks regularly to stay focused throughout the day."

Idiom Surprise

to catch someone off guard; to surprise unexpectedly

"The sudden rain took us by surprise."

Phrasal-verb Responsibility

to be responsible for someone or something

"My sister takes care of our younger brother when our parents are away."

Idiom Theater

to be the main focus of attention

"The issue of climate change took center stage at the conference."

Phrasal-verb Leadership

to take control or responsibility for something

"She decided to take charge of her own life and decisions."

Phrasal-verb Leadership

to assume control or responsibility for something

"She decided to take charge of the new department."

Phrasal-verb Note taking

to write what someone says; to make notes

"The students took down the teacher’s explanation carefully."

Phrasal-verb Administration

to start being used or enforced

"The new tax regulations will take effect from January."

Idiom Relaxation

to take a short break

"Let's take five before continuing the meeting."

Idiom Military

to receive strong criticism

"The government took flak for its poor handling of the crisis."

Phrasal-verb Project management

to move a plan or project to the next stage

"We need strong leadership to take forward the innovation agenda."

Idiom Emotion

to feel encouraged or more confident

"You should take heart; things will get better soon."

Phrasal-verb Resilience

to gain comfort or courage because of something

"Volunteers take heart from every thank-you message they receive."

Phrasal-verb Home life

to provide shelter or care to someone; to allow someone to stay in your home

"After the storm, they decided to take in their neighbors who lost their house."

Phrasal-verb Attitude

to accept and deal with something difficult calmly

"He learned to take challenges in stride instead of stressing out."

Phrasal-verb Motivation

to be the first to take action or make a decision

"Employees who take initiative often grow faster in their careers."

Phrasal-verb Action

to be the first to take action or start something

"Leaders should take initiative in solving problems early."

Phrasal-verb Creativity

to get creative ideas or motivation from something

"Many fashion designers take inspiration from nature."

Phrasal-verb Curiosity

to show curiosity or enthusiasm about something

"He started to take interest in local traditions after moving abroad."

Phrasal-verb Disagreement

to disagree strongly with someone or something

"I take issue with your interpretation of the results."

Idiom Advice

To relax and not worry too much.

"Take it easy, everything will be fine."

Idiom Patience

to accept something calmly without being upset

"She took the criticism in stride."

Idiom Sports

to accept a difficult situation without complaining

"He took it on the chin when his project failed."

Idiom Patience

Deal with tasks gradually instead of rushing.

"Take it one step at a time, and you’ll succeed."

Idiom Boredom

showing indifference about accepting or rejecting something

"That’s my final offer — take it or leave it."

Phrasal-verb Behavior

to express anger or frustration by being unpleasant to someone not responsible

"Don’t take it out on your colleagues when you’re stressed."

Idiom Banking

to be certain that something is true or will happen

"You can take it to the bank that he’ll deliver on his promise."

Idiom Business

to improve something significantly; to advance to a higher stage

"We plan to take our business to the next level this year."

Idiom Responsibility

to decide to do something without being asked or required

"She decided to take it upon herself to organize the event."

Idiom Skepticism

to not completely believe something

"He tends to exaggerate, so take his stories with a grain of salt."

Idiom Skepticism

to not completely believe something

"He exaggerates a lot, so take it with a pinch of salt."

Idiom Advice

Trust what I am saying; believe me.

"Take my word for it, this method really works."

Idiom War

to be ruthless or extremely determined in achieving something

"Our sales team takes no prisoners when it comes to competition."

Phrasal-verb Awareness

to pay attention to and remember something important

"He carefully took note of all the suggestions during the review meeting."

Phrasal-verb Note-taking

to write down important information during a lesson or meeting

"He always takes notes when the teacher explains a new topic."

Phrasal-verb Study

to write down important information while studying

"You should take notes on every lecture."

Phrasal-verb Business

to become successful or popular quickly

"The new app took off right after its release."

Phrasal-verb Action

to chase someone or something quickly

"The police took off after the thief."

Phrasal-verb Economic growth

to start growing or improving rapidly

"After years of reform, the country's economy finally took off economically."

Phrasal-verb Finance

to start growing or succeeding quickly in terms of money

"Their online business really took off financially after the pandemic."

Phrasal-verb Success

to start succeeding rapidly in a field

"His career really took off in the last two years."

Phrasal-verb Career

to suddenly become successful in your job or business

"Her career really took off after she launched her own startup."

Phrasal-verb Success

to become successful quickly

"Their new app took off with millions of downloads in the first week."

Phrasal-verb Government

to begin an official position or duty

"The new prime minister will take office next week."

Phrasal-verb Responsibility

to accept or start dealing with a challenge or responsibility

"Developed nations should take on more responsibility for climate aid."