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
The driver, described by police as an elderly woman, was taken to the hospital with complaints of pain to her chest and arm.
—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
Similar to his successful run in WWE, Ethan has taken to Raw like a Canadian duck to water.
—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Before he was sentenced, Guo protested his treatment in jail, saying he was taken to the hospital early Monday.
—
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
Other artists who took to the stage to perform Sunday night included Raye, Doechii, Common, Don Toliver, Jill Scott, Kehlani, French Montana and Max B, Tems, The War and Treaty, Durand Bernarr, Erica Campbell, Rick Ross, George Clinton, Nas and Rapsody, among many others.
—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
Similar to his successful run in WWE, Ethan has taken to Raw like a Canadian duck to water.
—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Before he was sentenced, Guo protested his treatment in jail, saying he was taken to the hospital early Monday.
—
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
Other artists who took to the stage to perform Sunday night included Raye, Doechii, Common, Don Toliver, Jill Scott, Kehlani, French Montana and Max B, Tems, The War and Treaty, Durand Bernarr, Erica Campbell, Rick Ross, George Clinton, Nas and Rapsody, among many others.
—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
29 June 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 30 Jun. 2026.
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