Meanings
verbtake up the glove (third-person singular simple present takes up the glove, present participle taking up the glove, simple past took up the glove, past participle taken up the glove)
present singular third person takes up the glove · participle present taking up the glove · past took up the glove · participle past taken up the glove
- To accept a challenge or adopt a quarrel.
Origin
In reference to the gauntlet traditionally thrown down and picked up to propose and accept a duel.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
take up the glove. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20up%20the%20glove
MLA
“take up the glove.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20up%20the%20glove. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “take up the glove,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20up%20the%20glove.
Source: take up the glove on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.