take it

IPA/tˈeɪk ɪt/
IPA/tˈeɪk ɪt/

take it — idiom

1. to begin handling a job or situation yourself, so that the person doing it befor

1.idiomB2
Definition

to begin handling a job or situation yourself, so that the person doing it before can stop and let you carry on.

Example

Sayaka finished reading the notes and said she would take it from there.

take it from here/there for picking up an unfinished job

The night nurse arrived and told the tired doctor she could take it now.

Common collocations
  • take it from here
  • take it from there
  • take it from now
Synonyms
  • take over

    more formal; emphasises full control passing to you

  • carry on

    stresses continuing rather than starting to handle it

Antonyms
  • hand over

    the opposite side of the same handover

Grammar Patterns

take it from here / from now

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'from here', 'from there', or 'from now', marking the exact point where the new person takes over. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about guessing rather than doing.

Common Mistakes

I will take it the project tomorrow.
I will take it from here
you can rest now.' — 'take it' in this sense needs 'from here/there', not a direct object.

2. to believe that something is true because of what you have seen or heard, even t

2.idiomB2
Definition

to believe that something is true because of what you have seen or heard, even though nobody has told you directly.

Example

Nora saw the empty plates and took it that her guests had enjoyed the meal.

take it that + clause for drawing a conclusion

There were no lights on upstairs, so we took it the children were already asleep.

Common collocations
  • take it that
  • take it you
Synonyms
  • assume

    more neutral and formal; less tied to visible clues

  • gather

    very close in meaning; also based on indirect signs

Grammar Patterns

take it (that) + clause

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person reading clues from a situation; the conclusion follows from evidence, not from being told. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about starting to do a task.

Common Mistakes

I take it to him being angry.
I take it he is angry.
use 'take it (that) + clause', never 'take it to'.

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

A fixed phrase built from the very old verb 'take' (from Old Norse 'taka', meaning to grasp or seize) plus the empty object 'it'. The 'it' does not point to any real thing; it simply turns 'take' into a set expression, as in many English idioms like 'make it' or 'leg it'.