go-to
noun
a reliable person or thing one turns to as a preferred resource, strategy, option, etc..
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:
Do you have a go-to strategy to save or grow your money?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 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
Como's Roman-walled centre is already covered by a limited-traffic zone, and bicycles have become a go-to method of transport for locals.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
However, Nall said, she wouldn’t recommend AI as a go-to source.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
It was a point of pride for him—never settling on a go-to favorite ice cream, never admitting disappointment if one flavor wasn’t as good as the last one.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida,” the grand jury wrote, adding that witnesses also claimed not to remember who made the decision.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
"Sometimes people stop talking for a bit or go to process what they are feeling, and they come back together and they just hash it out."
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
"She likes to go to go to the mailbox, and she's like, 'Ms Dolly! Ms Dolly!' and I'm like, 'Well, let's go see if Ms Dolly sent you a book!'"
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
I’m not exaggerating when I say this happens every single time we go to the movies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Next, I should go to the skirts department and pull the same trick, buying three identical wool skirts in navy.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
