take pains

English

Alternative forms

• take great pains

Verb

take pains (third-person singular simple present takes pains, present participle taking pains, simple past took pains, past participle taken pains)

1. (transitive) To use care and effort (to do something) despite any corresponding trouble or inconvenience

Synonyms

• take the trouble
• make an effort

Derived terms

• painstaking

Further reading

• "take pains" in Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary