take someone at their word (English, verb)
expansion: take someone at their word (third-person singular simple present takes someone at their word, present participle taking someone at their word, simple past took someone at their word, past participle taken someone at their word)
Senses:
glosses: To take someone literally even though they may not have been serious; to take someone seriously even though they were joking; to take up a challenge that was initially meant as a joke.
tags: transitive
glosses: To take someone's word for it, to believe someone without having the means to check that what they said is true.
tags: transitive
Forms:
form: takes someone at their word
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: taking someone at their word
tags: participle
present
form: took someone at their word
tags: past
form: taken someone at their word
tags: participle
past