diff --git a/packages/algorithm/src/take.ts b/packages/algorithm/src/take.ts
index f62b3a302..bb12709aa 100644
--- a/packages/algorithm/src/take.ts
+++ b/packages/algorithm/src/take.ts
@@ -35,9 +35,12 @@ export function* take<T>(
   object: Iterable<T>,
   count: number
 ): IterableIterator<T> {
-  for (const value of object) {
-    if (0 < count--) {
-      yield value;
-    }
+  if (count < 1) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const it = object[Symbol.iterator]();
+  let item: IteratorResult<T>;
+  while (0 < count-- && !(item = it.next()).done) {
+    yield item.value;
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/algorithm/tests/src/take.spec.ts b/packages/algorithm/tests/src/take.spec.ts
index 83a3828c7..fe96d2ca4 100644
--- a/packages/algorithm/tests/src/take.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/algorithm/tests/src/take.spec.ts
@@ -20,13 +20,17 @@ describe('@lumino/algorithm', () => {
 
   describe('take() from an iterable iterator', () => {
     testIterator(() => {
-      return [take([0, 1, 2, 3][Symbol.iterator](), 1), [0]];
+      return [take([0, 1, 2, 3], 1), [0]];
     });
   });
 
   describe('take() with count=0', () => {
-    testIterator(() => {
-      return [take([0, 1, 2, 3][Symbol.iterator](), 0), []];
-    });
+    testIterator(() => [take([0, 1, 2, 3], 0), []]);
+  });
+
+  describe('take() only takes as many as count', () => {
+    const it = [0, 1, 2, 3][Symbol.iterator]();
+    testIterator(() => [take(it, 2), [0, 1]]);
+    testIterator(() => [take(it, 4), [2, 3]]);
   });
 });