take to

verb

took to; taken to; taking to; takes to

transitive verb

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 participle
take 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
Recently, he'd taken to wearing tuxedos and suits and had gotten a new car, she said.Laura Italiano and Tamar Lapin
3
: 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

Examples of take to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Turner was taken to Harlan ARH Hospital and later flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 23 Oct. 2024 After news of Hadley's release spread, the 28-year-old took to Instagram to address his fans. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 The 32-year-old rapper took to Instagram live to blast a fan who sent child protective services to her home as a joke. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 23 Oct. 2024 Some have even taken to dissecting the song down to specific lyrics, like her quick mention of having to quit her improv troupe. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for take to 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of take to was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near take to

Cite this Entry

“Take to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20to. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on take to

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