go-to
noun
a reliable person or thing one turns to as a preferred resource, strategy, option, etc..
Showing results for go-to.
Search instead for
b-o-t-.
go-to
American
[goh-too]
/ ˈgoʊˌtu /
noun
-
a reliable person or thing one turns to as a preferred resource, strategy, option, etc..
She’s our go-to for computer advice.
This dish is my go-to when I need something quick for a potluck.
-
a person’s standard way of behaving or responding; reflex.
He’s not trying to impress you—that courtly politeness is his go-to with everybody.
adjective
-
relied on and turned to as a preferred resource, strategy, option, etc., for a particular purpose.
She’s been the team’s go-to penalty kicker all season.
This is my go-to dictionary.
-
being a person’s standard way of behaving or responding; usual or habitual.
When I tell them to get off the computer, their go-to excuse is that they need it for homework.
go to
British
verb
-
to be awarded to
the Nobel prize last year went to a Scot
-
to tackle a task vigorously
interjection
adjective
go to
Idioms
-
See going to .
-
Also, go toward . Contribute to a result, as in Can you name the bones that go to make the arms and legs? or The director has a good eye for seeing what will go toward an entire scene . [c. 1600]
-
Begin, start, as in By the time she went to call, she'd forgotten what she wanted to say . The related idiom go to it means “get started, get going.” P.G. Wodehouse used it in Louder & Funnier (1932): “Stoke up and go to it.” [First half of 1700s]
Etymology
Origin of go-to
First recorded in 1980–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She packs as many as a dozen in a reusable container from Farmers Fridge, her airport vending machine go-to for a chia pudding fix.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Even the platform formerly known as Twitter is enjoying something of a renaissance, with Musk's X now the go-to social media app for Silicon Valley insiders and the main marketplace for talk about artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
“Humor is my go-to instinct,” Fielder says about trying to reassure others.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
For 18-year-old Schekina Bourne, Boots is not a "go-to shop" for her.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
I had seen enough action films with my brothers to know that sheets were the go-to item in that situation, but I couldn’t think.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
I’ll go to a class around 7 or 8 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
"They see it every day when they go to the grocery store, when they go to pick up a prescription."
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
“My parents had always said, if we were fortunate enough to be able to watch them go to the World Series, we’re going to do everything we can to get there,” Henderson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Opinion polls suggest Sunday's run-off will be extremely close, with little separating the two as Brazil's 159 million registered voters prepare to go to the ballot boxes.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Even a warning doesn’t mean she has to go to the cellar, though.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
