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
After his death, Aldean took to Instagram to pay tribute to the Turning Point USA CEO, sharing a photo of him and his wife posing alongside Kirk.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Stockton is also a former reporter for the conservative news site Breitbart, which Bannon used to head, and took to Twitter to say he had been raided by a SWAT team Thursday morning with a warrant to search his phone.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Last week, meanwhile, the mother of two took to the New York City sidewalks in Khaite’s pointy-toe Sloan heels, which were designed to naturally slim the ankle, according to the product description.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
That revelation prodded insurgents in British possessions from Ireland to Sierra Leone to take to the streets to assert their own ambitions for economic and political autonomy over the decades to come.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Stockton is also a former reporter for the conservative news site Breitbart, which Bannon used to head, and took to Twitter to say he had been raided by a SWAT team Thursday morning with a warrant to search his phone.
—Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Last week, meanwhile, the mother of two took to the New York City sidewalks in Khaite’s pointy-toe Sloan heels, which were designed to naturally slim the ankle, according to the product description.
—Kelsey Stewart, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 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 9 Nov. 2025.
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