take hold — To become secure, firmly established, or effective (used of an idea, feeling, disease, fire, etc.)
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: To become secure, firmly established, or effective (used of an idea, feeling, disease, fire, etc.)
Pronunciation (IPA): /teɪk hoʊld/
Example Sentences
- Once the rumor took hold in the office, everyone believed the boss was secretly a robot.
- Take hold of the rope tightly, or you'll end up in the lake with the ducks!
- Panic began to take hold as the presentation slides refused to load.
take hold
VERB[/teɪk hoʊld/]
To become secure, firmly established, or effective (used of an idea, feeling, disease, fire, etc.)
The wildfire began to take hold, sweeping across the dry hillside within minutes.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old English 'tacan' (to take) combined with 'healdan' (to hold), literally meaning 'to take a grip', later extended metaphorically to mean 'to become firmly established'.
Breakdown
take (to seize) + hold (a grip) = to take a grip → to become firmly established
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“Once the rumor took hold in the office, everyone believed the boss was secretly a robot.”
“Take hold of the rope tightly, or you'll end up in the lake with the ducks!”
“Panic began to take hold as the presentation slides refused to load.”
“The new dance trend took hold across schools within weeks.”
“He took hold of his emotions and calmly explained why he'd eaten the last slice of pizza.”
📚Related Words
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