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

She was taken to a clinic in Cortina, then transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso, a two-hour drive to the south. —Andrew Dampf, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026

Mad enough to take to the streets and do something about it? —Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026

The child was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. —Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2026

But this casserole strikes that perfect balance of nostalgia and ease—without any weird or wacky ingredients or steps worth taking to the internet about. —Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for take to

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue