Meaning & use
intakes
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“intakes” is a form of “intake”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
The amounts of food, drink, air, or another substance that a person or thing takes in.
Grammar: Countable; use with numbers or words like daily, high, low: daily intakes, several intakes.
Patterns
- daily intakes of something
- reduce your intakes
Doctors recommend daily intakes of calcium and vitamin D.
The study compared the sugar intakes of children in five countries.
High intakes of salt can raise blood pressure.
nouncountable
The groups of people accepted into an organization, school, or program at particular times.
Grammar: Countable; often used for schools and universities: the September intake, new intakes.
Patterns
- student intakes
- the next intake
The college has two intakes each year, in April and September.
New intakes of police officers begin training every spring.
nouncountabletechnical
The openings or pipes through which air or liquid enters a machine or engine.
Grammar: Countable; common in the plural for machines with more than one opening: air intakes.
Patterns
- air intakes
- clean the intakes
Leaves had blocked the air intakes, so the engine overheated.
The plane's intakes are on the sides of the fuselage.
Word forms
| singular | intake |
|---|
Common combinations
- daily intake
- Keep your daily intake of sugar below 30 grams.
- reduce your intake
- He reduced his intake of red meat after the checkup.
- student intake
- The student intake has grown by 20 percent.
- air intake
- Check the air intake for dust and dirt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- consumption
- More formal and often about resources such as energy or fuel; intake is more common for food, drink, and air.
- admission
- Focuses on the act of allowing someone to enter; intake often refers to the group admitted or the process.
Word family
- intake noun
- Singular form; an amount or process of taking something in.
Commonly confused: intakes or in take?
intakes vs in take
The noun is one word: intake. The verb phrase take in is two words: take in air.
Practice
The doctor asked about his daily ___ of caffeine.
Choose one answer.
After daily we usually use the singular uncountable-style form intake: daily intake. Intakes is plural and would need a plural context, such as comparing several people's intakes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intakes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.