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
June 11: By the middle of this week, protesters in more than 45 other cities across America took to the streets, echoing Los Angeles.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Lead actor Nikhil Siddhartha took to X to address the incident and confirm the safety of all cast and crew members.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 June 2025
Sushi by Scratch Sushi by Scratch, which has locations nationwide, from Los Angeles to New York City with several in between, is omakase taken to the next level, in several ways.
—Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
The woman was taken to UChicago Medicine where she was listed in fair condition.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Lead actor Nikhil Siddhartha took to X to address the incident and confirm the safety of all cast and crew members.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 June 2025
Sushi by Scratch Sushi by Scratch, which has locations nationwide, from Los Angeles to New York City with several in between, is omakase taken to the next level, in several ways.
—Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
The woman was taken to UChicago Medicine where she was listed in fair condition.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 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 17 Jun. 2025.
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