go-to

What it means

Go-to describes a person, thing, or place you reliably turn to when you need something — your default pick. As an adjective it modifies a noun ('my go-to outfit'); as a noun it stands alone ('that's my go-to'). It is informal but widely accepted across American and British English.

Examples

• Black jeans and a white tee — that's my go-to outfit.
• When I'm stressed, ice cream is my go-to.
• She's the go-to person for any tech problem in the office.
• Their lemon pasta is my absolute go-to on the menu.

Where it comes from

An adjectivization of the verb phrase 'to go to,' meaning the place or person one habitually goes to. It became widespread in American English in the late 1990s and 2000s, especially in marketing and lifestyle writing.

Related slang