take on the chin
To accept without flinching or complaining.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He took the bad news on the chin.”
“You should take your boss's feedback on the chin.”
“I take every mistake on the chin and keep moving forward.”
“The team lost the final game, but they took the defeat on the chin and congratulated their opponents.”
“When the restaurant owner told her she had to work on her birthday, she took it on the chin and started her shift.”
“The actor took the harsh movie reviews on the chin and promised to choose better roles in the future.”
“Despite the unexpected failure of his project, he took the criticism on the chin and immediately began drafting a more effective strategy for the next quarter.”
The expression entered English as a reference to the sport of boxing, specifically the receipt of a physical blow to the jaw. It describes the act of standing one's ground while being struck, rather than attempting to evade the impact. The phrase has since migrated from the ring to general usage to denote the acceptance of misfortune or criticism without complaint.
- 01
be taken ill
To become ill.
- 02
cross to take up
Alternative form of cross to bear.
- 03
forget to take one's medication this morning
To be annoyed or irritable, or to behave in an ill-mannered way, particularly in the morning.
- 04
get taken in
To be fooled; to fall for.
- 05
give and take
A process of compromise or accommodation.
- 06
give someone an inch and someone will take a mile
Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
- 07
have one's name taken
To receive a yellow card.
- 08
I take it
Used to express one's understanding of another's position.
Last updated August 10, 2026