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
Joseph Hickox, owner and operator of the Chick-fil-A restaurant, told KEYT-TV at the time that the employee was at home recovering after she was taken to the hospital.
—Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026
Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets Sunday as CicLAvia opens a three-mile stretch of West Los Angeles roads to pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized users.
—City News Service, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
But despite his family heritage in stunt riding, Razgatlıoğlu didn’t take to it like his father.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
The first 21 were taken to the warehouse, which had neither electricity nor water.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
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Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2026
Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets Sunday as CicLAvia opens a three-mile stretch of West Los Angeles roads to pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized users.
—City News Service, Daily News, 24 Apr. 2026
But despite his family heritage in stunt riding, Razgatlıoğlu didn’t take to it like his father.
—Jonathan Hawkins, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
The first 21 were taken to the warehouse, which had neither electricity nor water.
—Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
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 25 Apr. 2026.
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