- 拿起，捡起，举起，拔起；拿走：
She took up the receiver and began to dial the number.
她拿起听筒开始拨电话号码。
They took up arms and fought for their faith and liberty.
他们拿起武器为信仰和自由而斗争。
- 吸收(水分)；溶解(固体)：
She used a blotting paper to take up the ink.
她用吸墨纸吸墨。
How much water is needed to take up the sugar?
这糖需要多少水才能溶解?
- 占用，占(地方)：
All available accommodation were taken up.
房间都住满了。
- 占去(地方、时间、注意力等)；费(时间)；占据(注意力)：
I'm sorry I've already taken up so much of your valuable time.
对不起，我占了你这么多宝贵时间。
The piano takes up too much space.
这架钢琴占地方太多。
The whole of my time is taken up with trifles.
我的所有时间都被琐事占去了。
- 安(家)，定(居)；在…安置下来：
He married a French woman and took up his residence in Paris.
他和一个法国女人结了婚，并在巴黎定居。
to take up one's residence with someone
和某人居住在一起
- 让(乘客等)上车；(车等)接纳(乘客)；(船)承载(货物)：
The school bus stopped to take up pupils.
校车停下来让小学生们上车。
- 开始从事(一项事业、一种职业等)，学习(某种知识、技能等)；着手处理(某事)；关注；对…发生兴趣；论及：
He took up writing after graduation.
毕业后他开始从事写作。
to take up swimming
开始学游泳
She took up the study of English 4 years ago.
她四年前开始学英语。
He has taken up stamp-collecting as a hobby.
他已经有了集邮这个爱好。
- 采纳(信仰、意见等)，接受；采取(某种态度)；承担：
She took up my suggestion enthusiastically.
她热情地采纳了我的建议。
He took up a compromising attitude towards the question.
他对这个问题采取了妥协的态度。
- 接受(打赌、挑战、建议等)，接受…的打赌(或挑战、建议等)：
No one dared take up the challenge.
谁也不敢应战。
She took up my offer of a ride into town.
她接受我的提议，乘车进城。
- 得到，获得：
The animal took up the disease.
那个动物染上了病。
- (为表示异议等)打断…的话；打断并校正；指责，申斥：
She took the pupil up sharply when he had a slip of the tongue.
当学生出现口误时，她立刻打断他。
- 申请；对…提出要求：
to take up one's social welfare
要求社会福利
- 接着讲，接下去说；继续(中断的话)：
The teacher took up the lesson where he left off last week.
老师接着上星期停下来的地方把课文讲下去。
to take up one's story
继续讲故事
He saw the guest out and took up his work again.
他把客人送出去以后又接着做他的工作。
- (把)(未完的事等)继续下去；从别人的手中接过来：
Tom took up where his father left off.
汤姆继承了父亲未尽的事业。
- 当…的保护人；收于(门下)；关照；提携；赞助：
The young man is so lucky that he is taken up by a famous novelist.
这个年轻人很走运，他得到了一位著名小说家的指教。
- 逮捕，拘捕，捉住：
He was taken up for drunkenness.
他因酗酒而被拘留。
They took up a pickpocket.
他们捉住一个扒手。
- 扎住(动脉等)；收紧；调除：
Take up these loose ropes.
把这些松了的绳子拉紧。
to take up the slack in a rope
把绳索的松垂部分拉紧
to take up an artery
夹住动脉(止血)
- 收缩，改短(衣服)；(编织时)钩起(漏针)；绕紧；扎紧：
She has taken up the legs of the trousers.
她已经把裤腿改短。
It has been taken up an inch.
已经将它收短了一英寸。
to take up a dropped stitch
补漏针
- (把…)卷绕起来：
This part of machine is for taking up the film.
机器的这个部分是用来卷胶卷的。
- 付清(票据)；(按抵押)垫款；承兑(汇票) ；认购(公债等)；募(捐)；收受(抵押品)；全部买去，全部买下：
We will take up a collection to help the needy.
我们将募捐救济穷人。
All available tickets were taken up.
所有的票都被买光了。
- (漏洞等)自动闭合
- 翻修
- (天气等)变晴朗；变好：
The weather is going to take up at last.
天气终于要放晴了。
Business is taking up.
生意正在好起来。
- (学校)开学；上课：
The school takes up at nine.
学校9点钟开始上课。
- 抓住(笑话、典故等的)要点：
We didn't take up his joke.
我们不知道他的笑话好笑在哪里。
Don't take me up wrongly.
别误解我的意思。
- [方言] 停住，克制自己，悬崖勒马
- [古语] 解决(争吵等)