Have vs. Take — What's the Difference?

Possess, own, or hold

A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.

Experience; undergo

Lay hold of (something) with one's hands; reach for and hold

Be obliged or find it necessary to do the specified thing

Remove (someone or something) from a particular place

Perform the action indicated by the noun specified (used especially in spoken English as an alternative to a more specific verb)

Carry or bring with one; convey

Show (a personal attribute or quality) by one's actions or attitude

Accept or receive (someone or something)

Place or keep (something) in a particular position

Consume as food, drink, medicine, or drugs

Be the recipient of (something sent, given, or done)

Make, undertake, or perform (an action or task)

Used with a past participle to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses, and the conditional mood

Require or use up (a specified amount of time)

People with plenty of money and possessions

(of a plant or seed) take root or begin to grow; germinate

A swindle.

Have or require as part of the appropriate construction

To be in possession of

A scene or sequence of sound or vision photographed or recorded continuously at one time

To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function

An amount of something gained or acquired from one source or in one session

To possess or contain as a constituent part

An amount of copy set up at one time or by one compositor.

To occupy a particular relation to

To grasp or grip

To possess knowledge of or facility in

To capture physically; seize

To hold in the mind; entertain

To seize with authority or legal right

To use or exhibit in action

To get possession of (fish or game, for example) by capturing or killing.

To come into possession of; acquire

(Sports) To catch or receive (a ball or puck)

To receive; get

Sports & Games To acquire in a game or competition; win

To accept; take

Sports & Games To defeat

To suffer from

To engage in sex with.

To be subject to the experience of

To remove with the hands or an instrument

To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion

To cause to die; kill or destroy

To cause to be in a specified place or state

To subtract

To permit; allow

To exact

To carry on, perform, or execute

To deal a blow to; strike or hit

To place at a disadvantage

To delight or captivate

(Informal) To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception

To catch or affect with a particular action

(Informal) To influence by dishonest means; bribe

To carry in one's possession

To procreate (offspring)

To convey by transportation

To give birth to; bear

To lead or cause to go along to another place

To partake of

To be as a path or course for; provide a way for

To be obliged to; must

To put (food or drink, for example) into the body; eat or drink

To engage in sexual intercourse with.

To draw in; inhale

Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action

To expose one's body to (healthful or pleasurable treatment, for example)

One enjoying especially material wealth

To move into or assume occupancy of

(transitive) To possess, own.

To choose for one's own use; avail oneself of the use of

(transitive) To hold, as something at someone's disposal.

To require the use of (something)

(transitive) To include as a part, ingredient, or feature.

To use or require (time)

(transitive) Used to state the existence or presence of someone in a specified relationship with the subject.

To use (something) as a means of conveyance or transportation

(transitive) To consume or use up (a particular substance or resource, especially food or drink).

To use (something) as a means of safety or refuge

(transitive) To undertake or perform (an action or activity).

To choose and then adopt (a particular route or direction) while on foot or while operating a vehicle

(transitive) To be scheduled to attend, undertake or participate in.

To undertake, make, or perform

To experience, go through, undergo.

To perceive or become aware of by one of the senses

To be afflicted with, suffer from.

To commit and apply oneself to the study of

(auxiliary verb, taking a past participle) Used in forming the perfect aspect.

To study for with success

Used as an interrogative verb before a pronoun to form a tag question, echoing a previous use of 'have' as an auxiliary verb or, in certain cases, main verb. (For further discussion, see the appendix English tag questions.)

To accept (something owed, offered, or given) either reluctantly or willingly

See have to.

To allow to come in; give access or admission to; admit

(transitive) To give birth to.

To provide room for; accommodate

(usually passive) To obtain.

To become saturated or impregnated with (dye, for example).

(transitive) To engage in sexual intercourse with.

To submit to (something inflicted); undergo or suffer

(transitive) To accept as a romantic partner.

To put up with; endure or tolerate

To cause to, by a command, request or invitation.

To receive into a particular relation or association, as into one's care or keeping

To cause to be.

To assume for oneself

To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.)

To agree to undertake or engage in (a task or duty, for example)

To depict as being.

(Baseball) To refrain from swinging at (a pitched ball).

To defeat in a fight; take.

To be affected with; catch

To inflict punishment or retribution on.

To be hit or penetrated by

To be able to speak (a language).

To withstand

To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of.

To require or have as a fitting or proper accompaniment

To trick, to deceive.

To accept as true; believe

To allow; to tolerate.

To impose upon oneself; subject oneself to

To believe, buy, be taken in by.

To follow or adhere to (advice or a suggestion, for example).

(transitive) To host someone; to take in as a guest.

To accept or adopt as one's own

(transitive) To get a reading, measurement, or result from an instrument or calculation.

To regard or consider in a particular relation or from a particular viewpoint

To consider a court proceeding that has been completed; to begin deliberations on a case.

To understand or interpret

To make an observation of (a bird species).

To consider to be equal to; reckon

A wealthy or privileged person.

To perceive or feel; experience

(uncommon) One who has some (contextually specified) thing.

To obtain from a source; derive or draw

A fraud or deception; something misleading.

To obtain, as through measurement or a specified procedure

To hold in possession or control; to own; as, he has a farm.

To write or make a record of, especially in shorthand or cursive writing

To possess, as something which appertains to, is connected with, or affects, one.

To create (an image, likeness, or representation), as by photography

To accept possession of; to take or accept.

To include or distribute (a charge) in a financial record.

To get possession of; to obtain; to get.

(Informal) To swindle, defraud, or cheat

To cause or procure to be; to effect; to exact; to desire; to require.

To get something into one's possession; acquire possession

To bear, as young; as, she has just had a child.

To accept or receive something

To hold, regard, or esteem.

To have the intended effect; operate or work

To cause or force to go; to take.

To start growing; root or germinate

To take or hold (one's self); to proceed promptly; - used reflexively, often with ellipsis of the pronoun; as, to have after one; to have at one or at a thing, i. e., to aim at one or at a thing; to attack; to have with a companion.

To engage or mesh; catch, as gears or other mechanical parts.

To be under necessity or obligation; to be compelled; followed by an infinitive.

To gain popularity or favor

To understand.

(Regional) To begin or engage in an activity

To put in an awkward position; to have the advantage of; as, that is where he had him.

To become

A person who possesses great material wealth

A quantity collected at one time, especially the amount of profit or receipts taken on a business venture or from ticket sales at a sporting event.

Have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense;

The number of fish, game birds, or other animals killed or captured at one time.

Have as a feature;

A scene filmed without interrupting the run of the camera.

Of mental or physical states or experiences;

A recording made in a single session.

Have ownership or possession of;

A performer's reaction, especially to a specific situation or remark, as part of a comedy routine. Often used in combination

Cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition;

A physical reaction, such as a rash, indicating a successful vaccination.

Serve oneself to, or consume regularly;

A successful graft.

Have a personal or business relationship with someone;

An attempt or a try

Organize or be responsible for;

An interpretation or assessment, as of an event

Have left;

(transitive) To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.

Be confronted with;

(transitive) To seize or capture.

Undergo;

(transitive) To catch or get possession of (fish or game).

Suffer from; be ill with;

To catch the ball; especially as a wicket-keeper and after the batsman has missed or edged it.

Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner;

(transitive) To appropriate or transfer into one's own possession, sometimes by physically carrying off.

Receive willingly something given or offered;

(transitive) To exact.

Get something; come into possession of;

(transitive) To capture or win (a piece or trick) in a game.

Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);

(transitive) To receive or accept (something) (especially something given or bestowed, awarded, etc).

Achieve a point or goal;

(transitive) To receive or accept (something) as payment or compensation.

Give birth (to a newborn);

(transitive) To accept and follow (advice, etc).

Have sex with; archaic use;

(transitive) To receive into some relationship.

To receive or acquire (property) by law (e.g. as an heir).

(transitive) To remove.

(transitive) To remove or end by death; to kill.

(transitive) To subtract.

(transitive) To have sex with.

(vulgar) To admit (a penis or the penis of) into one’s bodily cavity.

(transitive) To defeat (someone or something) in a fight.

(transitive) To grasp or grip.

(transitive) To select or choose; to pick.

(transitive) To adopt (select) as one's own.

(transitive) To carry or lead (something or someone).

To transport or carry; to convey to another place.

To lead (to a place); to serve as a means of reaching.

(transitive) To pass (or attempt to pass) through or around.

(transitive) To escort or conduct (a person).

(reflexive) To go.

(transitive) To use as a means of transportation.

(obsolete) To visit; to include in a course of travel.

(transitive) To obtain for use by payment or lease.

(transitive) To obtain or receive regularly by (paid) subscription.

(transitive) To consume.

(transitive) To receive (medicine) into one's body, e.g. by inhalation or swallowing; to ingest.

(transitive) To partake of (food or drink); to consume.

(transitive) To experience, undergo, or endure.

(transitive) To undergo; to put oneself into, to be subjected to.

(transitive) To experience or feel.

(transitive) To submit to; to endure (without ill humor, resentment, or physical failure).

(transitive) To suffer; to endure (a hardship or damage).

(transitive) To participate in.

(transitive) To cause to change to a specified state or condition.

(transitive) To regard in a specified way.

(transitive) To conclude or form (a decision or an opinion) in the mind.

(transitive) To understand (especially in a specified way).

(transitive) To accept or be given (rightly or wrongly); assume (especially as if by right).

(transitive) To believe, to accept the statements of.

(transitive) To assume or suppose; to reckon; to regard or consider.

(transitive) To draw, derive, or deduce (a meaning from something).

(transitive) To derive (as a title); to obtain from a source.

(transitive) To catch or contract (an illness, etc).

(transitive) To come upon or catch (in a particular state or situation).

(transitive) To captivate or charm; to gain or secure the interest or affection of.

To absorb or be impregnated by (dye, ink, etc); to be susceptible to being treated by (polish, etc).

To let in (water).

(transitive) To require.

(transitive) To proceed to fill.

(transitive) To fill, to use up (time or space).

(transitive) To avail oneself of.

(transitive) To practice; perform; execute; carry out; do.

(transitive) To assume or perform (a form or role).

(transitive) To assume (a form).

(transitive) To perform (a role).

(transitive) To assume and undertake the duties of (a job, an office, etc).

(transitive) To bind oneself by.

(transitive) To move into.

(transitive) To go into, through, or along.

(transitive) To have and use one's recourse to.

(transitive) To ascertain or determine by measurement, examination or inquiry.

(transitive) To write down; to get in, or as if in, writing.

(transitive) To make (a photograph, film, or other reproduction of something).

To take a picture, photograph, etc of (a person, scene, etc).

(transitive) To obtain money from, especially by swindling.

To apply oneself to the study of.

(transitive) To deal with.

(transitive) To consider in a particular way, or to consider as an example.

To decline to swing at (a pitched ball); to refrain from hitting at, and allow to pass.

(transitive) To accept as an input to a relation.

To have to be used with (a certain grammatical form, etc).

To accept (zero or more arguments).

(intransitive) To get or accept (something) into one's possession.

(intransitive) To engage, take hold or have effect.

(Of ink; dye; etc.) To adhere or be absorbed properly.

To begin to grow after being grafted or planted; to take root, take hold.

To catch; to engage.

To win acceptance, favor or favorable reception; to charm people.

To have the intended effect.

To become; to be affected in a specified way.

To be able to be accurately or beautifully photographed.

An intensifier.

To deliver, bring, give (something) to (someone).

To give or deliver (a blow, to someone); to strike or hit.

The or an act of taking.

Something that is taken; a haul.

Money that is taken in, (legal or illegal) proceeds, income; (in particular) profits.

The or a quantity of fish, game animals or pelts, etc which have been taken at one time; catch.

An interpretation or view, opinion or assessment; perspective; a statement expressing such a position.

An approach, a (distinct) treatment.

(film) A scene recorded (filmed) at one time, without an interruption or break; a recording of such a scene.

(music) A recording of a musical performance made during an uninterrupted single recording period.

A visible (facial) response to something, especially something unexpected; a facial gesture in response to an event.

(medicine) An instance of successful inoculation/vaccination.

A catch of the ball (in cricket, especially one by the wicket-keeper).

(printing) The quantity of copy given to a compositor at one time.

Taken.

In an active sense; To lay hold of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one's hold or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey.

To obtain possession of by force or artifice; to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one's power or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner; as, to take an army, a city, or a ship; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; - said of a disease, misfortune, or the like.

In a somewhat passive sense, to receive; to bear; to endure; to acknowledge; to accept.

To gain or secure the interest or affection of; to captivate; to engage; to interest; to charm.

To accept, as something offered; to receive; not to refuse or reject; to admit.

To make a picture, photograph, or the like, of; as, to take a group or a scene.

To make selection of; to choose; also, to turn to; to have recourse to; as, to take the road to the right.

To receive as something to be eaten or drunk; to partake of; to swallow; as, to take food or wine.

To give or deliver (a blow to); to strike; hit; as, he took me in the face; he took me a blow on the head.

To employ; to use; to occupy; hence, to demand; to require; as, it takes so much cloth to make a coat; it takes five hours to get to Boston from New York by car.

Not to refuse or balk at; to undertake readily; to clear; as, to take a hedge or fence.

To form a likeness of; to copy; to delineate; to picture; as, to take a picture of a person.

To bear without ill humor or resentment; to submit to; to tolerate; to endure; as, to take a joke; he will take an affront from no man.

To draw; to deduce; to derive.

To admit, as, something presented to the mind; not to dispute; to allow; to accept; to receive in thought; to entertain in opinion; to understand; to interpret; to regard or look upon; to consider; to suppose; as, to take a thing for granted; this I take to be man's motive; to take men for spies.

To assume; to adopt; to acquire, as shape; to permit to one's self; to indulge or engage in; to yield to; to have or feel; to enjoy or experience, as rest, revenge, delight, shame; to form and adopt, as a resolution; - used in general senses, limited by a following complement, in many idiomatic phrases; as, to take a resolution; I take the liberty to say.

To accept the word or offer of; to receive and accept; to bear; to submit to; to enter into agreement with; - used in general senses; as, to take a form or shape.

To lead; to conduct; as, to take a child to church.

To carry; to convey; to deliver to another; to hand over; as, he took the book to the bindery; he took a dictionary with him.

To remove; to withdraw; to deduct; - with from; as, to take the breath from one; to take two from four.

To take hold; to fix upon anything; to have the natural or intended effect; to accomplish a purpose; as, he was inoculated, but the virus did not take.

To please; to gain reception; to succeed.

To move or direct the course; to resort; to betake one's self; to proceed; to go; - usually with to; as, the fox, being hard pressed, took to the hedge.

To admit of being pictured, as in a photograph; as, his face does not take well.

That which is taken, such as the quantity of fish captured at one haul or catch, or the amouont of money collected during one event; as, the box-office take.

The quantity or copy given to a compositor at one time.

The income arising from land or other property;

The act of photographing a scene or part of a scene without interruption

Carry out;

As of time or space;

Take somebody somewhere;

Get into one's hands, take physically;

Take on a certain form, attribute, or aspect;

Interpret something in a certain way; convey a particular meaning or impression;

Take something or somebody with oneself somewhere;

Take into one's possession;

Require as useful, just, or proper;

Pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives;

Travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route;

Receive willingly something given or offered;

Assume, as of positions or roles;

Take into consideration for exemplifying purposes;

Experience or feel or submit to;

Make a film or photograph of something;

Remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, taking off, etc. or remove something abstract;

Serve oneself to, or consume regularly;

Accept or undergo, often unwillingly;

Make use of or accept for some purpose;

Take by force;

Occupy or take on;

Admit into a group or community;

Ascertain or determine by measuring, computing or take a reading from a dial;

Be a student of a certain subject;

Take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs;

Head into a specified direction;

Aim or direct at; as of blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment;

Be seized or affected in a specified way;

Have with oneself; have on one's person;

Engage for service under a term of contract;

Receive or obtain by regular payment;

Buy, select;

To get into a position of having, e.g., safety, comfort;

Have sex with; archaic use;

Lay claim to; as of an idea;

Be designed to hold or take;

Be capable of holding or containing;

Develop a habit;

Proceed along in a vehicle;

Obtain by winning;

Be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness;