take to

verb

took to; taken to; taking to; takes to

transitive verb

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 participle

take 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

Recently, he'd taken to wearing tuxedos and suits and had gotten a new car, she said.

—Laura Italiano and Tamar Lapin

3

: 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

Examples of take to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Julie Cousins took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, Nov. 28, to repost a photo from Janese Constantine, the wife of the Atlanta Falcons’ associate director of strength and conditioning Paul Constantine. —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024

Many fans took to the TikTok video's comments to praise the singer, whether for her outfit choice or her manners. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024

Celebrities are taking to social media to celebrate Thanksgiving with loved ones, thanks and lots of food. —Anika Reed, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024

As travelers take to the skies to join loved ones, authorities are warning people who leave their cars in airport parking lots to take caution due to vehicle thefts. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1