Took is the past tense and should be used when you’re writing “to take” in the past as in “I took that.” Taken is the past participle and should be used when an auxiliary verb is present (i.e., have), so “I have taken that” is correct. / tʊk / uk / tʊk / past simple of take (Definition of took from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press) / tʊk / us / tʊk / past simple of take (Definition of took from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press) TOOK definition: simple past tense of take. See examples of took used in a sentence. The meaning of TOOK is past tense of take. Define took. took synonyms, took pronunciation, took translation, English dictionary definition of took. v. Past tense of take. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. He repeatedly took an existing but half-formed idea－the mouse-driven computer, the digital music player, the smartphone, the tablet computer（平板电脑）－and showed the rest of the industry how to do it properly. Learn the difference between Taken or Took in English. Understand their grammar rules, tense usage, and common examples in simple language. A clear guide for English learners to master taken vs took. TikTok - trends start here. On a device or on the web, viewers can watch and discover millions of personalized short videos. Download the app to get started. Took functions as the simple past form and stands alone in a sentence: “She took the keys.” Taken, on the other hand, is the past participle and must appear with an auxiliary verb: “She has taken the keys” or “The keys were taken.”.