go-to
noun
a reliable person or thing one turns to as a preferred resource, strategy, option, etc..
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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
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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
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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]
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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:
The Food and Drug Administration approved Shingrix, a recombinant vaccine, in 2017, and it quickly became the go-to shingles vaccine after its launch in early 2018.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
It’s a stunning collapse for a onetime ad man with a dodgy reputation who rose to become the go-to digital campaign guru for Latin America’s ascendant right wing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Its authentic appearance has made it a popular go-to spot for film-makers, with it appearing in the TV shows Man vs Baby and Death in Paradise in recent times.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
SpaceX’s mastery of building and launching payloads to space has made it the go-to partner for U.S. military and intelligence offices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Good idea. We should find an Asian grocer too. I need some Pocky sticks. Those are, like, my go-to snacks during finals.”
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
“As if I had to go to the back of the line and wait my turn,” Mr. Guimarães says, bewildered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
But as the river was walled in against flooding, more people built even closer to it, and floodwater had no place to go to recharge the water table — nowhere but down and out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work and serve their communities with strength and determination," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
They now need to contemplate exactly how far the Fed will go to get inflation back under control, as well as what a longer Fed hiking cycle might mean for markets and the economy.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
We wait for Nana Dee to go to bed, and then we head for the back door.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Definitions 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.
