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
Following the news of Donahue’s death, many who have followed his footsteps took to social media to celebrate his legacy.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Aug. 2024
Reginald Hudlin has directed the short film on Harris that will precede the VP taking to the stage on Thursday for her acceptance speech as the party’s historic presidential candidate.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2024
At the Césars in 2008, Delon took to the stage to receive on her behalf an award marking what would have been her 70th birthday and asked the audience to honor her with a standing ovation.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
Two people sleeping on the top floor of the hotel were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries, CNN reported.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take to 
Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Aug. 2024
Reginald Hudlin has directed the short film on Harris that will precede the VP taking to the stage on Thursday for her acceptance speech as the party’s historic presidential candidate.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2024
At the Césars in 2008, Delon took to the stage to receive on her behalf an award marking what would have been her 70th birthday and asked the audience to honor her with a standing ovation.
—Carmel Dagan, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
Two people sleeping on the top floor of the hotel were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries, CNN reported.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 17 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take to
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near take to
Cite this Entry
“Take to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20to. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share