1. To obtain possession or control, whether legally or illegally ( it’s a felony to take that property without the owner’s consent).
2. To seize with authority; to confiscate or apprehend (take the suspect into custody).
3. To acquire (property) for public use by eminent domain; (of a governmental entity) to seize or condemn property (the state took the land under its eminent-domain powers). [Cases: Eminent Domain 1–65. C.J.S. Eminent Domain §§ 2–70, 82–83, 87–97, 104, 106–108, 115; Zoning and Land Planning§§ 24, 47.]
4. To acquire possession by virtue of a grant of title, the use of eminent domain, or other legal means; esp., to receive property by will or intestate succession (the probate code indicates the proportions according to which each heir will take). See TAKING.
5. To claim one’s rights under (she took the Fifth Amendment).