Intake Names a Group of People and a Quantity of Air
An intake is what is taken in. Schools, armies and engines all use the word for different things taken in.
An intake is an amount or group taken in. The word does several jobs at once: a school's intake is its new pupils, an engine's intake is the air it draws, a person's calorie intake is what they consume, and a river intake is where water is drawn off. All are formed from the phrasal verb *take in*.
- An amount taken in. *Daily calorie intake.*
- A group admitted. *This year's intake.*
- An air inlet. *The engine intake.*
- Take in — to absorb or admit. *Take in the news.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | intake | Fluid intake. |
| Plural | intakes | Annual intakes. |
| Phrasal verb | take in | Take in a lodger. |
| Opposite | output | Total output. |
| Related | input | User input. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The September intake begins next week.New students.
- Reduce your salt intake.Diet.
- The air intake was blocked.Engineering.
Senses of *take in*
- Absorb — take in information
- Admit — take in a lodger
- Deceive — he was completely taken in
- Make smaller — take in a garment
- Include — the tour takes in three cities
From the phrasal verb *take in*, from *take*, which English borrowed from Old Norse *taka*, replacing the native *niman*.
Is *take* an English word?
It came from Old Norse and displaced the native Old English *niman*, which survives only in dialect and in *nimble*.
Intake or input?
Intake is what is taken in physically. Input is what is supplied to a process or system.