take
v.v. to get, hold, or carry something from one place to another. For example, you can take a book from a shelf, or take a bus to get to work.
v. To get, accept, or receive something; to move or carry something from one place to another. A core, high-frequency verb with numerous idiomatic uses.
I take the bus to work every day.
Please take these books back to the library when you have a chance.
The new CEO will take the company in a completely different direction, focusing on sustainability and long-term growth rather than short-term profits.
From Middle English taken (“to take, lay hold of, grasp, strike”), from Old English tacan (“to grasp, touch”), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse taka (“to touch, take”), from Proto-Germanic tēkaną (“to touch”), from pre-Germanic deh₁g- (“to touch”), possibly a phonetically altered form of Proto-Indo-European *te-th₂g- (“to touch, take”) (see there for details). Gradually displaced native English nim, from Middle English nimen, from Old English niman (“to take”). Cognates Cognate with Scots tak (“to take”), Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk taka (“to take”), Norwegian Bokmål ta (“to take”), Swedish ta (“to take”), Danish tage (“to take, seize”), West Frisian take, taakje (“to grab, steal”), Dutch taken (“to take; grasp”), Middle Low German tacken (“to grasp”). English thack may be from the same root. Compare tackle. Despite superficial similarity, unrelated to Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to take by hand, obtain”), which is instead cognate with English thig (“to beg”).
An irregular verb (take, took, taken). It is transitive in most of its common senses and forms the basis of many phrasal verbs.
Remember to take your books when you come to my office.Remember to bring your books when you come to my office.Learners often confuse 'take' (movement away from the speaker/context) with 'bring' (movement towards the speaker/context).