take down
phrasal verb·3 senses·particle down
Meanings
Remove something from a higher position
Why “down”? Movement goes from high to low.
“Take down the Christmas decorations.”
“Workers took down the old sign.”
“Could you take down those boxes from the top shelf?”
Write notes quickly
Why “down”? Information is fixed in words, on paper or in a recording.
“She took down his phone number.”
“I took down the address in my notebook.”
“Let me take down the address before I forget.”
Defeat someone or remove something from operation
Why “down”? A structure, a system, or someone's mood can go down when it fails.
“Police took down the criminal network.”
“Engineers took down the unsafe website.”
“The champions took down the top seed.”
Don't confuse with
Take down means remove something from a higher position. Take up means start a new hobby or activity.
Take down means remove something from a higher position. Take out means remove something from inside.
Take down means remove something from a higher position. Take off means remove clothing or accessories.
Test yourself
“Take down the Christmas decorations.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
take off
A contrast learners often mix up
Remove clothing or accessories; Leave the ground (aircraft); Become suddenly successful
take out
A contrast learners often mix up
Remove something from inside; Invite someone to go somewhere socially; Borrow from a library
take up
A contrast learners often mix up
Start a new hobby or activity; Occupy space or time; Accept an offered opportunity; Resume something after a pause or interruption; Shorten a piece of clothing by adjusting its hem
back down
Same down pattern: losing
Withdraw from a position
bear down
Same down pattern: downward
Move quickly and threateningly toward someone
beat down
Same down pattern: downward
(of sun or rain) fall strongly and steadily
bend down
Same down pattern: downward
Lean the upper body downward
blow down
Same down pattern: downward
Cause something to fall by blowing
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