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 victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries and released later that evening.
—The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024
The suspect was arrested and taken to the Jacksboro County Jail.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2024
One of the oldest rivalries in sports takes to the soccer pitch Sunday as Real Madrid hosts FC Barcelona for the 2024 El Clásico game.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
After the crash, I was taken to the hospital at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and later to the neuro-ICU.
—Christy Bullock, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Cabello took to the comments section of the post, leaving a series of crown emojis.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2024
The child, dizzy and in pain, was taken to the hospital.
—Chelsia Rose Marcius, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The Seaquarium has accused Miami-Dade of focusing on failings in federal animal-care inspections, but not acknowledging steps the facility’s management has taken to cure the violations and remain in compliance with U.S. laws governing captive animals used for entertainment.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
The two passengers were each taken to a local hospital, one 28 years old and the other 27 years old.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024
The suspect was arrested and taken to the Jacksboro County Jail.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2024
One of the oldest rivalries in sports takes to the soccer pitch Sunday as Real Madrid hosts FC Barcelona for the 2024 El Clásico game.
—Tim Chan, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
After the crash, I was taken to the hospital at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and later to the neuro-ICU.
—Christy Bullock, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2024
Cabello took to the comments section of the post, leaving a series of crown emojis.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2024
The child, dizzy and in pain, was taken to the hospital.
—Chelsia Rose Marcius, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The Seaquarium has accused Miami-Dade of focusing on failings in federal animal-care inspections, but not acknowledging steps the facility’s management has taken to cure the violations and remain in compliance with U.S. laws governing captive animals used for entertainment.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
The two passengers were each taken to a local hospital, one 28 years old and the other 27 years old.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
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 25 Apr. 2024.
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