take the initiative

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Idioms and Phrases

Begin a task or plan of action, as in The boss was on vacation when they ran out of materials, so Julie took the initiative and ordered more . This term uses initiative in the sense of “the power to originate something,” a usage dating from the late 1700s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"He had to pull the strings and take the initiative. It gives such a boost to young people who may also start with nothing and who work to achieve their goals in life."

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Phil from London agreed parents needed to take the initiative when it came to online safety.

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It was left to 93-cap full-back Liam Williams to take the initiative by delivering a defiant message in the post-match huddle.

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There are other reasons for Democrats to try to take the initiative.

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Leveraging how political power is often downstream from cultural power, Democrats must take the initiative by shaping the public’s mood and beliefs instead of passively responding to them.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

take the high road take the law into one's hands

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