Meaning & use
partake in
Last updated
Meanings
phrasephrasal verbformal
To join in an activity, event or discussion together with other people.
Grammar: Followed by an activity noun: partake in the celebration; no direct object.
Patterns
- partake in something
All employees are invited to partake in the charity run.
Students may partake in either the morning or the afternoon workshop.
She chose not to partake in the gossip around the office.
phrasephrasal verbformalold-fashioned
To eat or drink some of what is offered, often at a shared meal.
Grammar: Usually partake of, but partake in is also heard with food: partake in the feast.
Patterns
- partake in something
- partake of something
Guests were encouraged to partake in the buffet before the speeches.
He politely declined to partake in the wine.
Word forms
| third person singular | partakes in |
|---|---|
| past tense | partook in |
| past participle | partaken in |
| -ing form | partaking in |
Common combinations
- partake in a tradition
- Families partake in this tradition every spring.
- partake in the festivities
- Everyone was invited to partake in the festivities.
- freely partake in
- Visitors may freely partake in the local customs.
- unable to partake in
- He was unable to partake in the game because of his knee.
- partake in a discussion
- Members can partake in a discussion online.
Synonyms and how they differ
- take part in
- Take part in is the everyday way to say it and is natural in speech, while partake in sounds more formal.
- participate in
- Participate in is standard in school and business writing and is less old-fashioned than partake in.
- join in
- Join in is informal and suggests starting to do something others are already doing.
- engage in
- Engage in suggests more serious involvement in an activity, not only joining.
Opposites
Word family
- partaker noun
- a person who takes part
- partake verb
- to take part or share
- participant noun
- a person who takes part in something
- participation noun
- the act of taking part
Commonly confused: partake in or partake of?
partake in vs partake of
Partake of is the traditional form, mostly used with food, drink or a quality, while partake in is for joining an activity.
Practice
Which choice is the most natural everyday way to say that someone joined the race?
Choose one answer.
Took part in is the plain everyday phrase. Partook in is correct but formal, and the other two choices change the meaning or the preposition.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “partake in”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.