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 dog's noisy breakthrough has become an unexpected source of joy not just for his family but also for tens of thousands of viewers, many of whom took to the comments to share their delight and humor.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
The reality star and mogul, 27, took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, May 8, to share some memories of Guerrero.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 9 May 2025
United’s substitutes’ bench looked far stronger than the one Amorim took to the Tottenham Stadium in mid-February.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 9 May 2025
In some cases, major steps have already been taken to loosen restrictions on work by kids as young as 14.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
The reality star and mogul, 27, took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, May 8, to share some memories of Guerrero.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 9 May 2025
United’s substitutes’ bench looked far stronger than the one Amorim took to the Tottenham Stadium in mid-February.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 9 May 2025
In some cases, major steps have already been taken to loosen restrictions on work by kids as young as 14.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 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 May. 2025.
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