take over — dominate discussion
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
To begin to control or dominate a conversation, meeting, or situation, often preventing others from contributing.
Say it like a native
Textbook He monopolised the entire discussion.
Native He completely took over the meeting.
'Take over' captures dominating a conversation; 'monopolised the discussion' is formal.
Pattern: take over (something: conversation/meeting/discussion)
In use
- Whenever there's a team meeting, Mark tends to take over and hardly lets anyone else speak.communication
- In group discussions, it is important to ensure that no single participant takes over, as this can stifle the exchange of ideas.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ He took over on the conversation.
✓ He took over the conversation.
'Take over' takes the object directly — no 'on'.
Common collocations
take over + talk— the conversation, the meeting, the whole discussion, completely
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B-level senses, which refer to taking control of a business or replacing someone in a role, this sense is figurative and refers specifically to conversational or social dominance.
Related
- take over (take control) — 'take over' also has the more basic meaning 'take control'; this is the advanced sense.