taking
An older or literary adjective meaning alluring or attractive — having a quality that catches attention or wins affection.
Seen in the wild
Not 100% but they're certainly taking the edge off- making me eepy too 😅 Thank you for the hugs🫂🫂
Renewables generated over half of UK’s electricity last year, yet gas still sets the price most of the time. The government is now taking steps to change that. But how will it really work in practice, and who benefi…
Exactly! I just retired, 36 years teaching all levels college writing. Making them care about their own writing, taking it personally and taking pride in it, helps avoid most all forms of shortcuts and "cheating," alt…
Persephone, what are you doing up at 3am? Oh nothing. Just taking a painkiller for cramps and zapping my under eye with a laser
I just found this out Turns out the anti anxiety and anti depressants I take can make my anxiety worse and can cause insomnia. No wonder I feel crap sometimes because of anxiety even when taking them. Explains why I f…
Definitions
An older or literary adjective meaning alluring or attractive — having a quality that catches attention or wins affection. The sense of 'taking' as infectious or contagious is archaic. As a noun, 'a taking' can mean the act of seizing or capturing something, and in some British dialects 'in a taking' means in an agitated or distressed state. The attractive sense survives mainly in formal or literary writing.
She had a taking smile that made people want to stay longer than they planned.
Comments
Alluring; attractive.
Taking means: Alluring; attractive.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up. For most families this word will pass by without incident; it is more a vocabulary curiosity than a parenting concern.
taking means: Alluring; attractive.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
“>> because he's also taking over the candy.”
“>> I'm I'm just taking like a horrible stab”
“>> It is my favorite word. I like taking”
Comments
(obsolete) Infectious; contagious.
“Exactly! I just retired, 36 years teaching all levels college writing. Making them care about their own writing, taking it personally and taking pride in it, helps avoid most all forms of shortcuts and "cheating," although LLM have been a huge challenge.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Persephone, what are you doing up at 3am? Oh nothing. Just taking a painkiller for cramps and zapping my under eye with a laser”
— Bluesky· May 2026“>> because he's also taking over the candy.”
“>> It is my favorite word. I like taking”
“>> I'm I'm just taking like a horrible stab”
Comments
Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
The act by which something is taken.
“Not 100% but they're certainly taking the edge off- making me eepy too 😅 Thank you for the hugs🫂🫂”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Renewables generated over half of UK’s electricity last year, yet gas still sets the price most of the time. The government is now taking steps to change that. But how will it really work in practice, and who benefits? 👇 www.thriverenewables.co.uk/news/2026/04...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I just found this out Turns out the anti anxiety and anti depressants I take can make my anxiety worse and can cause insomnia. No wonder I feel crap sometimes because of anxiety even when taking them. Explains why I find it so hard to fall asleep sometimes too”
— r/teenagers· May 2026“Is there a place like reddit where you can't ask questions/post without power hungry degenerates taking down everything they don't like?”
— r/NoStupidQuestions· May 2026“Words cannot describe how much I HATE taking baths!”
— r/GenAlpha· Apr 2026
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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