AAAmerican Accent US

take over

Both

Sense-dependent: some meanings take an object and split, others take none. Check the sense you mean.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: take OVER. Saying “TAKE over” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “take” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “take over” is said “ta-kover”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

Verb vs noun

As a noun the stress flips to the front: the verb is take OVER, the noun is TAKEOVER. Same two words, different beat — “to take OVER” is the action, “a takeover” is the thing. Getting this backwards makes the sentence land oddly even when every sound is right.

What it means

  1. To assume control of something.

    • “I'll take over the project while you're on vacation.”
    • “A larger firm took the company over last year.”

    Similar: assume control of, acquire

The particle logic

over

Something is examined from above, done again, or moved across.

Listen + practice

Hear “take over” spoken naturally

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More TAKE phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

take off

(Of an aircraft) to leave the ground.

take up

To start a new hobby or activity.

take in

To provide shelter for a person or animal.

take after

To resemble an older relative in looks or character.

take on

To accept a new responsibility or task.

take out

To remove something from inside a place or container.

take back

To retract something you said.

take down

To write information as you hear it.

take apart

To separate something into its parts.

take away

To remove something entirely.

take to

To begin to like someone or something.

take over — meaning, examples & how to say it