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
Turks and Caicos offers a shortcut that people of means can take to jump straight to permanent residency.
—Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
When Does Katy Perry Go to Space? Perry and the five other women will be taking to the skies on Monday, April 14 at 9:30 a.m. ET at Blue Origin's West Texas launch site in the New Shepard rocket.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Home to Home Local Edition – Kansas City Metro outlines the steps homeowners can take to sell their home.
—Archway Homes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2025
That rough start and the surge that followed it as Veen transformed into a California League postseason all-star epitomized the rocky road the corner outfielder took to his big-league debut earlier this week.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
When Does Katy Perry Go to Space? Perry and the five other women will be taking to the skies on Monday, April 14 at 9:30 a.m. ET at Blue Origin's West Texas launch site in the New Shepard rocket.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
Home to Home Local Edition – Kansas City Metro outlines the steps homeowners can take to sell their home.
—Archway Homes, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2025
That rough start and the surge that followed it as Veen transformed into a California League postseason all-star epitomized the rocky road the corner outfielder took to his big-league debut earlier this week.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 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 18 Apr. 2025.
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