take someone at their word

verb

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.

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Meanings

verbtake 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)

present singular third person takes someone at their word · participle present taking someone at their word · past took someone at their word · participle past taken someone at their word

  1. transitiveTo 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.
  2. transitiveTo take someone's word for it, to believe someone without having the means to check that what they said is true.

    There’s no way to objectively know if a particular alterhuman individual is actually an otherkin, otherkith, or otherlink. As with matters of gender identity, they have to be taken at their word—sometimes quite literally: it might be a word you've never heard before.

    2023, Phil Illy, “Autosexuality Beyond Gender”, in Autoheterosexual: Attracted to Being the Other Sex, Houndstooth Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 447

Translations

Danish tage nogen på ordet
  • tage nogen på ordettake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
Finnish ottaa todesta, ottaa kirjaimellisesti
  • ottaa todestatake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • ottaa kirjaimellisestitake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • luottaa sanaanbelieve someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
French prendre au mot, prendre au pied de la lettre
  • prendre au mottake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • prendre au pied de la lettretake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • prendre au sérieuxtake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • croire sur parolebelieve someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
Norwegian Bokmål ta noen på ordet, ta noen på alvor
  • ta noen på ordettake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • ta noen på alvortake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • ta noen på ordetbelieve someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
Polish traktować poważnie, potraktować poważnie
  • traktować poważnietake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • potraktować poważnietake someone literally even though they may not have been serious
  • wierzyć na słowobelieve someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
  • uwierzyć na słowobelieve someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
Russian ве́рить на́ слово, пове́рить на́ слово
  • ве́рить на́ слово (véritʹ ná slovo)believe someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
  • пове́рить на́ слово (povéritʹ ná slovo)believe someone without having the means to check that what they said is true
Cite this entry
APA

take someone at their word. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20someone%20at%20their%20word

MLA

“take someone at their word.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20someone%20at%20their%20word. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “take someone at their word,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20someone%20at%20their%20word.

Source: take someone at their word on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.