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
After Virginia voters approved new congressional districts in favor of Democrats, Starkey took to Facebook to criticize Indiana Republicans for voting against redistricting.
—Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The victims — a 33-year-old woman, a 62-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man — were taken to a hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, police said.
—City News Service, Daily News, 1 May 2026
Over the past month, many people have taken to Chinese social media to share their own dim sum reviews and praise authorities for helping preserve the handmade tradition.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
The intense preview for the May 7 episode — the season 9 finale — shows a chaotic scene as Athena is taken to the hospital to undergo surgery after getting shot.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for take to
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Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The victims — a 33-year-old woman, a 62-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man — were taken to a hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, police said.
—City News Service, Daily News, 1 May 2026
Over the past month, many people have taken to Chinese social media to share their own dim sum reviews and praise authorities for helping preserve the handmade tradition.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
The intense preview for the May 7 episode — the season 9 finale — shows a chaotic scene as Athena is taken to the hospital to undergo surgery after getting shot.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
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 2 May. 2026.
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