take to
2 meanings
start to like someone or something
What does "take to" mean in this sense?
Examples
- The children took to their new teacher immediately.
- I didn't really take to him when we first met, but he grew on me.
- Did she take to city life after moving from the countryside?
How to use it
The most common pattern: a person or animal develops a liking for someone or something. The object always follows 'to'.
The new puppy took to the children straight away.
The negative form is very natural and common, used to describe a lack of immediate connection or enjoyment.
I didn't really take to the new neighbourhood when we first moved there.
Pronoun objects always come after 'to', never between 'take' and 'to'.
She wasn't sure about the new manager at first, but she took to him quite quickly.
This pattern describes developing a liking for a new environment or way of living, often after relocating or making a life change.
After years in the suburbs, he took to city life almost immediately.
The reciprocal form describes two people developing a mutual liking when they meet.
The two colleagues took to each other right away and became good friends.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
When the object of 'to' is a verb-ing form (a gerund), 'take to' means to begin doing something habitually — a completely different meaning. Always check what follows 'to': a person, place, or thing signals the liking sense; a verb-ing form does not.
'Take to' in the liking sense describes a state or a moment of realisation, not an ongoing action. Using the present continuous sounds unnatural — use the simple past or present perfect instead.
'Take after' means to resemble a parent or relative in looks or personality — it has nothing to do with liking. Both can be followed by a person, so check the meaning: resemblance or liking?
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both British and American English. It is especially natural in the simple past ('took to') to describe a first meeting or new experience, often paired with 'immediately' or 'straight away'.
begin doing something regularly or as a habit
Sense 2: What does "take to sth" mean?
Examples
- Since retiring, my father has taken to waking up at dawn and working in the garden.
- She took to eating lunch alone after the argument with her colleagues.
- Have you noticed that he's taken to wearing a hat everywhere he goes?
How to use it
This is the core pattern. The activity that becomes a habit must be expressed as a verb ending in '-ing', not as a noun or infinitive.
Since moving to the countryside, she's taken to going for long walks every evening.
A time or place phrase often follows the gerund to give more context about when or where the habit occurs.
He's taken to working from the café on the corner every Saturday morning.
The past simple is used to describe a habit someone developed in the past, often in a narrative context.
After his promotion, he took to staying at the office long after everyone else had left.
The present perfect continuous emphasises that the habit has been developing or continuing up to the present.
Lately, she's been taking to skipping her lunch break to get more work done.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
After 'take to' in this sense, you must always use a gerund (verb + '-ing'), not a bare infinitive. This is one of the most common errors learners make with this phrasal verb.
'Take up' (followed by a noun) describes a deliberate decision to start a new hobby or activity, while 'take to' (followed by a gerund) suggests drifting into a habit gradually and often unintentionally. They are not always interchangeable.
'Take to' in this sense sounds unnatural in the simple present. Use the present perfect instead to describe a habit someone has recently developed.
Usage
This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both spoken and written English. It is slightly more common in British English and is usually used in the present perfect or past simple to describe a habit someone has recently developed, often gradually or without a clear decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'take to' always mean the liking happened instantly?
Not always, but it often implies the feeling came naturally and without much effort. You can say 'took to him immediately' for instant liking, but also 'took to the idea eventually' when the feeling developed over a short time. The key idea is that the liking felt spontaneous rather than forced.
Can I use 'took to' and 'warmed to' interchangeably?
'Warm to' suggests a more gradual shift, often after some initial hesitation or doubt — you start to like someone despite not being sure at first. 'Take to' can be immediate and spontaneous, with no prior doubt implied. Both are natural, but the nuance is different.
Can animals be the subject of 'take to'?
Yes, and it sounds very natural. You might say 'The cat took to the new family straight away' or 'Our dog didn't take to the new baby at first.' This is a common and charming use of the phrasal verb.
Is 'take to' used more in British or American English?
'Take to' is used in both British and American English without any strong regional preference. You might notice British speakers pairing it with 'straight away' and American speakers using 'right away', but the phrasal verb itself is equally common on both sides of the Atlantic.
Can I say 'will take to' when talking about the future?
It's possible but sounds a little unnatural in most contexts. Because 'take to' describes a spontaneous feeling rather than a planned action, the future form is awkward — you can't usually predict whether you'll like someone. It's more natural to say 'I hope she takes to her new school' than 'she will take to it'.
Does 'take to' always mean 'develop a habit'? I've seen it used differently.
No — 'take to' has more than one meaning. When it's followed by a gerund (e.g. 'She's taken to cycling to work'), it means to develop a habit. When it's followed by a noun referring to a person or thing (e.g. 'He took to his new manager straight away'), it means to like someone or something quickly. The '-ing' form is your signal for the habit meaning.
Is 'take to' more British or American English?
It's used in both varieties, but it's slightly more common in British English. American speakers are more likely to use 'get into' or 'start' in similar contexts. That said, 'take to' is widely understood in American English and won't sound unusual.
Can I use 'take to' to describe a habit I started on purpose, or does it have to be unplanned?
'Take to' works best when the habit developed gradually or somewhat naturally, without a clear moment of decision. If you want to emphasise a deliberate choice to start something, 'take up' (for hobbies) or 'start' is usually more appropriate. Using 'take to' implies a sense of drifting into something over time.
Can 'take to' be used in the passive — for example, 'Running was taken to by him'?
No, 'take to' in this sense doesn't form a natural passive. The person who develops the habit is always the subject of the sentence, and there's no direct object that can be moved to the front. You would always say 'He took to running', not rearrange it into a passive structure.
Why does 'take to' often appear in the present perfect? Can I use other tenses?
The present perfect ('has/have taken to') is the most natural choice because this phrasal verb typically describes a habit that started in the past and is still relevant now. The past simple ('took to') also works well in narrative contexts. The simple present and future simple sound awkward with this phrasal verb and are best avoided.
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