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
Simon said that Moore was taken to a local hospital after his arrest for mental health evaluation, but was not admitted to the hospital and instead turned back over to law enforcement.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
The Camry was driven by a 57-year-old woman who was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025
The Humane Society said the four dead cats would be taken to the Cornell Animal Diagnostic Center, where necropsies would be done to determine their cause of death.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
The dog was taken to be treated for smoke inhalation by a Lily’s employee.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
The Camry was driven by a 57-year-old woman who was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025
The Humane Society said the four dead cats would be taken to the Cornell Animal Diagnostic Center, where necropsies would be done to determine their cause of death.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
The dog was taken to be treated for smoke inhalation by a Lily’s employee.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 12 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 14 Dec. 2025.
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