1.Lit. to escort someone to and through some activities, such as a walk, a swim, a ride, etc. Can I take you for a ride? He took me for a walk in the park, and then we came home.
2.Inf. to cheat someone by a certain amount of money. That crook took me for a hundred bucks. How much did he take you for?
1. Regard as, as in Do you take me for a fool? [First half of 1400s]
2. Consider mistakenly, as in Don't take our silence for approval, or I think they took us for foreigners. [Second half of 1500s] Also see take for granted; what do you take me for.
To think someone or something is someone or something else: I'm sorry I called you the wrong name—I took you for one of your coworkers. Do you take me for a fool?