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
Medical personnel continued lifesaving measures before Bader was taken to a hospital, both Reed and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's report confirm.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
Bosch received the crown from 2024 winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark during the event, where 120 women from around the world took to the stage to compete for the pageant's 74th crown.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Boyd was taken to a local hospital, where he was last reported to be in stable condition.
—Katie Houlis, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
With that being said, one Bills legend took to social media to send a powerful message to Coleman.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
Bosch received the crown from 2024 winner Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark during the event, where 120 women from around the world took to the stage to compete for the pageant's 74th crown.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 21 Nov. 2025
Boyd was taken to a local hospital, where he was last reported to be in stable condition.
—Katie Houlis, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
With that being said, one Bills legend took to social media to send a powerful message to Coleman.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 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 23 Nov. 2025.
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