From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtake (a) holdtake (a) holdEFFECT/INFLUENCEto start to have a definite effect The fever was beginning to take hold. → hold
Examples from the Corpus
take (a) hold• Whereas summer still lingered in Florence, winter had already taken hold in Cramer.• His hand came out and took hold of her ankle, gave it a squeeze and a shake.• There are usually reasons why some ideas take hold and persist while others fail to do so.• Her imagination took hold of the idea and terrorized her at the thought of the hospital catching fire.• As the weeks grew into months, a plan took hold of her.• If doctors could know for certain which individuals would develop the disease, they could treat potential diabetics before the process takes hold.• From the reforms that followed, a new life began to take hold, and more than one innovation was meritorious.• What do your instincts tell you about whether democracy will take hold after the votes are counted? 