uptake
Understanding; comprehensionUnderstanding; comprehension.
» Tom was a bit slow on the uptake.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
5 senses(countable, uncountable)Understanding; comprehension.
(countable, uncountable)Absorption, especially of food or nutrient by an organism.
(countable, uncountable)The act of lifting or taking up.
a process of taking up or using up or consuming
(countable, dated, uncountable)A chimney.
(countable, dated, uncountable)The upcast pipe from the smokebox of a steam boiler towards the chimney.
Examples
10 sentencesTom was a bit slow on the uptake.
Tom is a bit slow on the uptake.
Tom's pretty quick on the uptake.
deTom hat eine recht schnelle Auffassungsgabe. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Tom is a little slow on the uptake.
ruТом слегка медленно всё схватывает. — odexed
deTom ist etwas schwer von Begriff. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
He's a little slow on the uptake.
ruОн туговато соображает. — marafon
deEr ist etwas schwer von Begriff. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Translations
2 languagesOrigin
From Middle English uptaken (“to take up, lift”), partial calque of earlier Middle EnglishFrom Middle English uptaken (“to take up, lift”), partial calque of earlier Middle English upnimen (“to take up, lift”), equivalent to up- + take. Compare Swedish upptaga, uppta (“to take up”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: uptakesSynonyms
3 synonyms- the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating):consumptioningestionintake
Word family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable