develop a taste for
idiom.idiom. to start to like something that you did not like before or that you found strange at first.
idiom. to acquire a preference or liking for something through experience or repeated exposure. Often used with things that are initially challenging or sophisticated, such as specific foods, genres of art, or complex hobbies.
I have recently developed a taste for spicy food.
After living in London for a year, he developed a taste for afternoon tea and rainy walks.
Although she initially found the composer's work dissonant and jarring, she gradually developed a taste for modern avant-garde jazz.
usually followed by a noun or a gerund representing the new interest.
the word 'develop' implies a process over time; it is a useful alternative to 'start to like' when discussing acquired tastes like coffee, olives, or classical music.
I developed a taste to olives.I developed a taste for olives.the noun 'taste' in this expression requires the preposition 'for' to connect to the object.
Last updated July 28, 2026