Word.ws English Dictionary

takes up the cudgels

takes up the cudgels is the third-person singular simple present indicative of take up the cudgels.

Meaning of take up the cudgels

Verb

take up the cudgels (third-person singular simple present takes up the cudgels, present participle taking up the cudgels, simple past took up the cudgels, past participle taken up the cudgels)

  1. To engage in a contest.
  2. (idiomatic) to make a defence for someone or something; to intercede supportively.

Questions about takes up the cudgels

What is takes up the cudgels the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Takes up the cudgels is the third-person singular simple present indicative of take up the cudgels.

Words near takes up the cudgels in the dictionary

  1. takes up arms
  2. takes up cudgels
  3. takes up for
  4. takes up residence
  5. takes up the cudgel for
  6. takes up the cudgels
  7. takes up the gantlet
  8. takes up the gauntlet
  9. takes up the hatchet
  10. takes up the mantle
  11. takes up the slack

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: takes up the cudgels (page history and authors); take up the cudgels (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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