To take in something is to let it reach you properly — to see it, hear it or understand it, rather than have it wash over you. You stand at the top of the hill and take in the view; a doctor explains the results twice because the first time you could not take in a word of it.
The phrase covers a surprising spread. You take in a stray cat, a lodger, a refugee — give them a place to stay. A tailor takes in a skirt to make it narrower, letting the seams out being the opposite. A tour or a walk can take in the places along the way: the route will take in the castle and the old harbour. And to be taken in is to be fooled, which is where it turns cold — she was taken in by a man with a story about a broken car. Note the order: with a pronoun it splits, so you take it in, never take in it.
1phrasetake inTo understand and absorb something you are told or shown.
“He read the letter twice and still could not take in the news.”
2phraselookTo look at something and let it register fully.
“They stopped at the gate to take in the view.”
3phrasegiveTo give someone a place to stay in your home.
“The family agreed to take in a student for the summer.”
4phraseclothingTo make a piece of clothing narrower by sewing.
“She asked the tailor to take in the waist.”
5phraseincludeTo include a place on a route or a journey.
“The walk will take in the harbour and the old church.”
6phrasedeceiveTo deceive someone who trusts you.
“Do not let a friendly voice on the phone take in your grandmother.”
Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove, Thinking & Memory, Knitting & Sewing
First appears in chapter 39 of A Man Called Ove.
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