1 B2 idiomatic informal
To accept an offer or invitation that was previously made.
"You offered to cook dinner next time I visited — I'm going to take you up on that."
separable
take one up
B2 informal separable transitive
To accept an offer, invitation, or bet that someone has proposed.
In plain English
To say 'yes' to an offer someone made to you.
What does "take one up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To accept a challenge or dare.
"He said nobody could beat him at chess, so I took him up on it — and won."
separable
Usage tip
This is a contracted form of 'take someone up on something.' Most naturally used in informal speech. The full form 'I'll take you up on that' is more common in written English.
Words that pair with "take one up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
offer bet invitation challenge proposal suggestion
How to conjugate "take one up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
take one up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
takes one up
he/she/it
Past simple
took one up
yesterday
Past participle
taken one up
have + pp
-ing form
taking one up
continuous
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