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
Two passengers in a Smart car and two Philadelphia officers were taken to hospitals Friday morning after a crash, police said.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
They are then taken to a detention center in Louisiana to face potential deportation.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025
The driver of the Ford and both occupants of the Toyota were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025
The honoree took to the carpet at the London event with husband Percy Gibson.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Brandt, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
They are then taken to a detention center in Louisiana to face potential deportation.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025
The driver of the Ford and both occupants of the Toyota were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025
The honoree took to the carpet at the London event with husband Percy Gibson.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 5 Dec. 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 7 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share