British EnglishAmerican EnglishGeneralinformalneutral
The qualities, abilities, determination, or resources required to succeed in a particular task or role; used in expressions such as 'have what it takes' to indicate possession of those attributes.
2.
British EnglishAmerican EnglishGeneralcolloquialneutral
A statement that a particular action or sacrifice is necessary to achieve a desired result: 'that is what it takes' meaning 'that is required'.