take out
C1 (High Frequency)Neutral/Informal
Definition
Meaning
To remove something or someone from its/their current place; to extract.
To obtain something (e.g., a loan, insurance); to invite someone socially (e.g., on a date); to kill or eliminate a target; to buy prepared food from a restaurant for consumption elsewhere.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A highly polysemous phrasal verb whose specific meaning is heavily dependent on its object and context. It can denote physical removal, acquisition, social activity, or destruction.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, 'takeaway' is the preferred noun for food bought to eat elsewhere; in the US, 'takeout' is standard. The verb 'to take out' (food) is common in both. The meaning 'to kill/eliminate' is more frequent in US action/spy contexts.
Connotations
In social contexts ('take someone out'), it is neutral in both varieties. In business/finance ('take out a loan'), it is formal-neutral.
Frequency
The food-related sense is extremely frequent in both varieties daily. The 'eliminate' sense is less common in everyday UK speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] + take out + [Direct Object] (e.g., He took out a loan)[Subject] + take + [Object] + out + [Prepositional Phrase] (e.g., She took her colleague out for lunch)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “take it out on someone”
- “take out a contract on someone”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To formally acquire a financial product or service. 'The company will take out a substantial loan to fund expansion.'
Academic
Rare; may appear in case studies about finance or social behaviour.
Everyday
Primarily used for food, trash, and social invitations. 'Let's just take out pizza tonight.'
Technical
In military/security contexts: to neutralise a threat. 'The special ops team was ordered to take out the radar installation.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I need to take the bins out tonight.
- They took out a massive mortgage on their new house.
- Shall we just take a curry away?
American English
- Could you take out the garbage, please?
- We took out a large insurance policy.
- Let's take out Chinese food.
adverb
British English
- We ate the food takeaway. (Rare as adverb)
American English
- We ordered the sushi to go. (Note: 'to go' is the common adverbial form, not 'takeout')
adjective
British English
- We're having a takeaway pizza. (Note: 'takeaway' as adj is UK standard)
American English
- The takeout containers are in the bag. (Note: 'takeout' as adj is US standard)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Can you take out your book, please?
- I take out the rubbish every morning.
- We took out pizza last night.
- They took out a loan to buy a new car.
- He took his parents out for their anniversary dinner.
- Don't take your anger out on me!
- The business took out additional insurance against cyber attacks.
- The sniper successfully took out the enemy lookout.
- We took out a subscription to the online journal.
- The hostile takeover was designed to take out their main competitor.
- She meticulously took all the relevant data points out of the complex report.
- They took out a full-page ad in the Times to announce the launch.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of taking something OUT of its original place: money OUT of a bank (loan), food OUT of a restaurant, a person OUT of a building (on a date), or a threat OUT of existence.
Conceptual Metaphor
ACQUISITION IS REMOVAL (taking out a loan), SOCIALIZING IS REMOVAL (taking someone out), DESTROYING IS REMOVING (taking out an enemy).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate 'take out the trash' as '*брать наружу мусор' – use 'выносить мусор'.
- Avoid confusing 'take out a loan' with '*брать кредит наружу' – use 'оформить/взять кредит'.
- The social 'take out' does not mean simply 'взять с собой', but specifically to invite, often paying: 'пригласить (в ресторан, оплатив)'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it without an object: *'I will take out.' (Incorrect; requires *what* is taken out).
- Confusing 'take out' (v) with 'takeaway/takeout' (n). 'Let's get a takeout' (noun) vs. 'Let's take out food' (verb).
- Using the wrong preposition: *'He took out me for dinner.' (Correct: 'He took me out for dinner.' – pronoun must come between verb and particle).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence does 'take out' mean 'to kill or destroy'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
As a noun or adjective (e.g., 'takeout food'), it is often written as one word, especially in American English. As a verb, it is always two words: 'to take out'.
In British English, 'take away' is the standard verb and noun ('a takeaway'). In American English, 'take out' is the standard verb and noun ('takeout'). The meaning is identical.
Yes, 'to take someone out' often implies a social date, which can be romantic, but it can also be purely platonic (e.g., taking a friend out for their birthday).
No. With pronouns, it is 'take + pronoun + out' (take him out). With nouns, both structures exist but 'take out + noun' (take out the trash) is more common than 'take + noun + out', though the latter is also correct.