take to
Britishverb
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to make for; flee to
to take to the hills
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to form a liking for, esp after a short acquaintance
I took to him straightaway
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to have recourse to
to take to the bottle
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to regard seriously
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Have recourse to, go to, as in They took to the woods . [c. 1200]
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Develop as a habit or steady practice, as in He took to coming home later and later . [c. 1300]
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Become fond of, like, as in I took to him immediately , or The first time she skied she took to it . This expression, from the mid-1700s, is sometimes expanded to take to it like a duck to water , a simile dating from the late 1800s.
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take to be . Understand, consider, or assume, as in I took it to be the right entrance . [Mid-1500s] Also see the subsequent entries beginning with take to .
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.
The Wimbledon moms offer a spectacular version of a quieter question confronting many caregivers: What does it take to keep, reclaim or expand an athletic life after children?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
But what will it take to move England to the top of the podium at a major tournament?
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
To decide which projects to take to screen, the creative team often pulls directly from online chatter by fandoms and looks for distinct perspectives, said Peter Friedlander, Amazon MGM Studios’ head of global TV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
There are steps we could take to make the court seem more like the public body it’s supposed to be.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
The one who made cupcakes for me to take to school on my birthday while Mama watched soap operas in her bathrobe.
From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor
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.
