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
Four others were taken to Boulder Community Health, police said, but they had all either been transferred or discharged later Sunday night, the hospital said.
—Christa Swanson, CBS News, 2 June 2025
The man’s body was taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office and his cause of death is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to AP.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 2 June 2025
Police said four of the victims were taken to Boulder Community Hospital and two others were airlifted to a burn unit in Aurora.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 2 June 2025
Trigg was taken to Chandler Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Arizona Republic reported.
—Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Christa Swanson, CBS News, 2 June 2025
The man’s body was taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner's Office and his cause of death is being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to AP.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 2 June 2025
Police said four of the victims were taken to Boulder Community Hospital and two others were airlifted to a burn unit in Aurora.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 2 June 2025
Trigg was taken to Chandler Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Arizona Republic reported.
—Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 2 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 10 Jun. 2025.
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