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take the initiative

   Also found in: Legal 0.05 sec.
take the initiative (to do something)
to activate oneself to do something even if one has not been asked to do it. The door hinges squeak because no one will take the initiative to oil them. Sometimes, in order to get things done, you have to take the initiative.
See also: take

take the initiative
to be the first one to do something She wanted to move, to take the initiative, to give him a big hug.
Usage notes: often said about an effort to solve a problem: Parents need to take the initiative with their children's after-school programs.
See also: take


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? References in classic literature
I was aware of the demand for action, and, my old helplessness strong upon me, I was waiting for him to take the initiative.
"Well, Clara, if you can suggest nothing, I suppose that I must take the initiative myself," said he.
I had the protection, -- pardon my hesitation, count, but, for a Stuart, you, who understand everything, you will comprehend that the word is hard to pronounce; -- I had, I say, the protection of my cousin the stadtholder of Holland; but without the intervention, or at least without the authorization of France, the stadtholder would not take the initiative.
 
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