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

The 26-year-old driver was taken to a hospital and declared dead there, a 30-year-old passenger was treated for serious injuries, police said. —David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024

Police said Hinnant collapsed in the drive-through lane, was detained and then taken to a hospital. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024

Advertisement The infant was pronounced dead at the scene, and the girl was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries, the law enforcement source said. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024

The injured officer was taken to a hospital and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Becchina said. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024

After the shooting, Arnold was taken to nearby HCA Florida Aventura Hospital and died Sunday. —Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024

Mario Tama/Getty Images People also took to the skies during the eclipse, boarding special flights along the path of totality. —Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024

Both men died before they could be taken to a hospital. —Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2024

One person was killed and four others, including a firefighter, were taken to a hospital on Thursday after a fire erupted on the eighth floor of a downtown D.C. apartment building that houses mostly senior citizens, authorities said. —Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1