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.
Student protests in France have seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets since they began late last month.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
It follows demonstrations on Thursday that saw more than 70,000 people take to the streets across France, with about 500 people arrested.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
You never know how long it will take to find a driver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
By the spring of 2024, Gibney had a nearly finished two-hour cut he hoped to take to the fall festivals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I may have my differences with the Gantrys, Mr. Peale, but I don’t take to low-down tactics. If you’re amenable, Horace will be here to help you with the harvest. For free.”
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
