TOOK EFFECT Synonyms: 18 Similar and Opposite Words

took effect

phrase

past tense of take effect

as in worked

to produce a desired effect You'll feel better once the medication takes effect.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of took effect The bank denied his request in December 2021 and fired him two months later — weeks before a mandatory return-to-office policy took effect, according to the lawsuit. — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026 Some of the biggest cuts to SNAP took effect soon after the bill’s passage. — Cuyler Dunn, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026 Since the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) took effect in 2020, multiple international car companies have invested heavily in the integrated North American automotive supply chain. — CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Luxon's government has mulled such a law since Australia's world-first social media ban for under 16-year-olds took effect in December 2025. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 Labor groups are pressing the government to establish a new Minimum Wage Board and revise the 12,500 taka ($102) monthly floor by December, arguing that a new three-year review cycle applies to the wage that took effect in 2023. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026 The state's Low THC Oil Registry had 36,703 patients when the law took effect. — Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 Several new California laws took effect ahead of the 2026-27 school year, bringing changes that could affect students, parents, teachers — and drivers — across the state. — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Evidence that employers try to maximize the number of people working for them part time instead of full time and with benefits arose after the Affordable Care Act fully took effect in 2014. — Paul Osterman, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for took effect

took hold

Phrase

Determining conclusively whether life actually took hold will require bringing such rocks back to laboratories on Earth.

— Ashwin R. Vasavada, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Luis and Mónica encouraged their daughters to play instruments, signing them up for piano lessons, which was going swimmingly until the holy grip of Rock Band fully took hold.

— Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of took hold

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took down

took effect

took exception

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“Took effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/took%20effect. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of took effect

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