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
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was taken to a local Kansas City hospital after his scary leg injury in Saturday's 27-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 of the 2024 NFL season.
—Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
The sample was then taken to Johnson Space Center in Houston for analysis.
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
Evelyn was taken to the hospital and died more than 12 hours later at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she was placed on life support.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 22 Dec. 2024
The film was praised for both Moore and Lowe’s performances, as well as for the honest approach the script took to the problems each character faced.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
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Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024
The sample was then taken to Johnson Space Center in Houston for analysis.
—Elise Cutts, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2024
Evelyn was taken to the hospital and died more than 12 hours later at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she was placed on life support.
—Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 22 Dec. 2024
The film was praised for both Moore and Lowe’s performances, as well as for the honest approach the script took to the problems each character faced.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for take to
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 Dec. 2024.
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