take to
verb
took to; taken to; taking to; takes to
1
: to go to or into (a place)
take to the woods/hills
Thousands of people took to the streets in protest. [=went out into the streets to protest]
He took to the airwaves [=he spoke on the radio] with his message.
2
: to begin doing (something) as a habit or regular practice
take to drink
—usually used with a following present participletake to drinking/smoking
He's recently taken to staying up late on weekends.
A few of her classmates took to calling her Pipi, after Pippi Longstocking …—
Calvin Tomkins
Calvin TomkinsRecently, he'd taken to wearing tuxedos and suits and had gotten a new car, she said.—Laura Italiano and Tamar Lapin
Laura Italiano and Tamar Lapin3
: to adapt oneself to
They haven't taken well to the new schedule.
4
: to start to have a liking for
I took to her immediately.
He tried skiing and took to it quickly. [=he quickly learned how to ski and liked doing it]
Note: To take to something like a duck (takes) to water is to begin to do it, use it, etc., in a very quick, easy, and natural way.
She took to horseback riding like a duck to water.
Deanna takes to student life like a duck takes to water, doing all the things that we all did …—Joe Anderton
see also take kindly to
Joe AndertonExamples of take to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Thousands of mourners have taken to the Vatican this week to pay their final respects to Pope Francis following his death on Monday.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
An 18-year-old victim who was also taken to a hospital is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and expected to make a full recovery.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
The casket carrying the body of the late pontiff is now being taken to the St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), which Pope Francis picked as his final resting place, breaking tradition.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
In response, Fyre Festival took to social media to share screenshots of emails and permits, but details were askew from what had been promoted.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
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Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
An 18-year-old victim who was also taken to a hospital is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries and expected to make a full recovery.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2025
The casket carrying the body of the late pontiff is now being taken to the St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), which Pope Francis picked as his final resting place, breaking tradition.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
In response, Fyre Festival took to social media to share screenshots of emails and permits, but details were askew from what had been promoted.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
Cite this Entry
“Take to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20to. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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