Verb
take the initiative (third-person singular simple present takes the initiative, present participle taking the initiative, simple past took the initiative, past participle taken the initiative)
(idiomatic) to take action first or on one's own; to make the first move
Just as the process of repealing national alcohol prohibition began with individual states repealing their own prohibition laws, so individual states must now take the initiative with respect to repealing marijuana prohibition laws. George Soros
Nowadays there is more dynamism in chess, modern players like to take the initiative. Usually they are poor defenders though. Boris Spassky
If you can defend, counter-attack and take the initiative then you become a more dangerous player. Jo Durie
Change requires individuals who recognize that new things can be done and who take the initiative to get them done ... The existing bureaucracies, public and private, will not take on the job of changing what is. Lester Thurow
There is nothing natural, inevitable, or necessary about the labyrinth of fear. We can liberate ourselves. There are better ways to live. Someone has to take the initiative to love and trust her fellow living creature and set us all free. Brendan Myers
I want people to take the initiative to find veterans that need help, veterans that are suffering and in need of assistance reintegrating from combat back into society, into normal family lives and jobs. We need to take a real 'boots on the ground' approach to helping veterans in need. Max Martini