It takes a lot of time. vs It takes up a lot of time.

Both phrases are correct, but they have slightly different meanings. 'It takes a lot of time' simply means that something requires a significant amount of time to complete. On the other hand, 'It takes up a lot of time' implies that something is occupying or consuming a large amount of time.

Last updated: March 24, 2024 • 3621 views

It takes a lot of time.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to indicate that something requires a significant amount of time to complete.

Examples:

Studying for the exam takes a lot of time.
Cooking a homemade meal from scratch takes a lot of time.
Learning a new language takes a lot of time.
Writing a novel takes a lot of time.
Building a house takes a lot of time.

Show examples from the web [+]

You know, it takes a lot of time.
And it takes a lot of time.
It is very difficult for me to go against the financial rules, which is why it takes a lot of time.
We're understand that there are forms and home visits and that it takes a lot of time.
Got it. I know, it takes a lot of time.
You know, it takes a lot of time.
He cared in a very different manner, but it takes a lot of time to understand that.
It'll take a lot of time to prepare.
It's heavy-going and takes a lot of time.
My public duties take a lot of time.
Planning a funeral takes a lot of time.
- Of course, that will take a lot of time.
Also, nowadays you got so much to choose from, finding just the right clip can take a lot of time.
It was either a fiancée of faking your death, which takes a lot of time.
and that takes a lot of time.
Doris tends to take up a lot of time.
But you told me yourself that you do take a lot of time off.
Listen, I don't want to take a lot of your time.
You may not care about those things, but, believe me, they take up a lot of time.
But being a doctor, that must take up a lot of time.

Alternatives:

It requires a lot of time.
It demands a lot of time.
It needs a lot of time.
It consumes a lot of time.
It involves a lot of time.

It takes up a lot of time.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to indicate that something is occupying or consuming a large amount of time.

Examples:

His new hobby takes up a lot of time.
The daily commute takes up a lot of time.
The project at work takes up a lot of time.
Volunteering at the shelter takes up a lot of time.
Managing a large team takes up a lot of time.

Show examples from the web [+]

Doris tends to take up a lot of time.
You may not care about those things, but, believe me, they take up a lot of time.
But being a doctor, that must take up a lot of time.
Well, being a good teacher can really take up a lot of time.
Well, he certainly takes up a lot of time.
The votes on the legislative drafts take up rather a lot of time.
A political campaign takes up a lot of time.
Now, this must be very difficult for you, So we won't take up a lot of your time.
So we won't take up a lot of your time.
If you haven't noticed, cleaning a mansion takes up a lot of my time.
Digging through your belly button seems to take up a lot of your time.
I would ask for clarification as otherwise I will not be able to sort these things out in writing but will have to rise to speak as some other colleagues have, but that takes up a lot of time.
I'D'VE BEEN HERE FASTER, BUT SELLING YOUR BODY TAKES UP A LOT OF TIME.
It takes up a lot of my time, but I find it fulfilling.
Unnecessary regulations take up a lot of time and cost a lot of money.
These commitments, which take up a lot of time for small businesspeople, impede the much-needed concentration of efforts.
My colleagues have paid tribute to everyone involved, and I do not want to take up a lot of time repeating that.
This year I was new at school and... that takes up a lot of time and...
You know, it takes a lot of time.
And it takes a lot of time.

Alternatives:

It occupies a lot of time.
It consumes a lot of time.
It uses a lot of time.
It requires a lot of time.
It demands a lot of time.

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

It takes a lot of time. vs It takes up a lot of time.