A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
He has an endearing habit of licking his lips when he's nervous. [+ of]
Many people add salt to their food out of habit, without even tasting it first.
...a survey on eating habits in the U.K.
Synonyms: mannerism, custom, way, practice More Synonyms of habit
2. countable noun
A habit is an action which is considered bad that someone does repeatedly and finds it difficult to stop doing.
Break the habit of eating too quickly by putting your knife and fork down after eachmouthful. [+ of]
After twenty years as a chain smoker Mr Nathe has given up the habit.
Synonyms: addiction, weakness, obsession, dependence More Synonyms of habit
3. countable noun
A drug habit is an addiction to a drug such as heroin or cocaine.
She became a prostitute in order to pay for her cocaine habit.
4. countable noun
A habit is a piece of clothing shaped like a long loose dress, which a nun or monk wears.
5.
See a creature of habit
6.
See in the habit of/into the habit of
7.
See make a habit of
8.
See habit of mind
More Synonyms of habit
habit in British English
(ˈhæbɪt)
noun
1.
a tendency or disposition to act in a particular way
2.
established custom, usual practice, etc
3. psychology
a learned behavioural response that has become associated with a particular situation, esp one frequently repeated
4.
mental disposition or attitude
a good working habit of mind
5.
a.
a practice or substance to which a person is addicted
drink has become a habit with him
b.
the state of being dependent on something, esp a drug
6. botany, zoology
the method of growth, type of existence, behaviour, or general appearance of a plant or animal
a climbing habit
a burrowing habit
7.
the customary apparel of a particular occupation, rank, etc, now esp the costume of a nun or monk
8. Also called: riding habit
a woman's riding dress
9. crystallography short for crystal habit
verb(transitive)
10.
to clothe
11. an archaic word for inhabit, habituate
Word origin
C13: from Latin habitus custom, from habēre to have
habit in American English
(ˈhæbɪt)
noun
1. Obsolete
costume; dress
2.
a particular costume showing rank, status, etc.
; specif.,
a.
a distinctive religious costume
a monk's habit
b.
a costume worn for certain occasions
a riding habit
3.
habitual or characteristic condition of mind or body; disposition
4.
a.
a thing done often and hence, usually, done easily; practice; custom
b.
a pattern of action that is acquired and has become so automatic that it is difficult to break
5.
a tendency to perform a certain action or behave in a certain way; usual way of doing
6.
an addiction, esp. to narcotics
7. Biology
the tendency of a plant or animal to grow in a certain way; characteristic growth
a twining habit
verb transitive
8.
to dress; clothe
9. Archaic
to inhabit
SYNONYMY NOTE: habit refers to an act repeated so often by an individual that it has become automaticwith him [his habit of tugging at his ear in perplexity]; practice also implies the regular repetition of an act but does not suggest that it is automatic[the practice of reading in bed]; custom applies to any act or procedure carried on by tradition and often enforced by socialdisapproval of any violation [the custom of dressing for dinner]; usage refers to custom or practice that has become sanctioned through being long established[usage is the only authority in language]; wont is a literary or somewhat archaic equivalent for , practice [it was his wont to rise early]
Word origin
ME < OFr < L habitus, condition, appearance, dress < pp. of habere, to have, hold < IE base *ghabh-, to grasp, take > give
COBUILD Collocations
habit
adopt a habit
annoying habit
bad habit
bowel habit
change habits
dietary habit
dirty habit
disgusting habit
drinking habits
exercise habit
exercise habits
feed a habit
gambling habit
healthy habits
heroin habit
ingrained habit
lifelong habit
lifestyle habit
listening habits
old habits
porn habit
reading habits
savings habit
shopping habits
sleeping habits
smoking habit
spending habits
unappealing habit
unhealthy habit
viewing habits
winning habit
work habits
Examples of 'habit' in a sentence
habit
He asks me what he thinks is going on with me and my eating habits.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The interiors in which we cook for our families can be the source of bad habits.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Just three per cent had kicked the habit for good.
The Sun (2016)
Some employees may bring their bad hoarding habits into the office.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The idea proposed would see the department working with credit reference agencies and other organisations that collect data around spending habits.
Computing (2010)
And it did take me about six months to gain the weight back and to get into regular eating habits again.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Offensive drinking habits Alcohol is often an excuse.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
By rights you should report him to management - he obviously makes a habit of this.
The Sun (2017)
Old habits die hard, though.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Old habits die hard; old memories, too.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It is not easy to change old habits.
Mansfield, Patricia Why Am I Afraid to be Assertive? (1994)
Because of their branching habit they are often grown in a rear corner of a garden.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Some people make a habit of this.
Thomas Blaikie Blaikie's Guide to Modern Manners (2005)
We will also help change your bad food habits and put a stop to them for good.
The Sun (2014)
We first make our habits and then our habits make us.
Pete Cohen and Sten Cummins with Jennai Cox HABIT BUSTING: A 10-step plan that will change your life (2002)
The prospect of being urged against the confirmed habit of his mind was naturally grating.
George Eliot Daniel Deronda (1876)
This week we have got into the habit of eating early together when work allows it.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The desire to diet in women can also lead to unbalanced eating habits and bad skin.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It advised people not to alter their eating habits or the way they prepare food.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The foundation said that the crisp habit was just one aspect of unhealthy eating.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This is when it helps to make sure that they already have a good dressing habit.
Pearce, John (Dr.) Good Habits, Bad Habits (1994)
Was it hard to kick the habit?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Churches are in the habit of using people with knowledge instead of style.
Christianity Today (2000)
There has been a tidal change in eating habits and foods available.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Whereas today there is no agenda other than to maximise our pleasure through our consumption habits and practices.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It helps to stop you rushing back to the comfort of old habits once you reach your target weight.
The Sun (2007)
The jacket comes off, the pieces are rearranged out of nervous habit.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Our thinking is as much governed by habit as by behaviour and changing our thinking habits is as difficult as alteringour behaviour.
Atkinson, Jacqueline M Coping with Stress at Work (1988)
Quotations
Habit is a great deadenerSamuel BeckettWaiting for Godot
It is hard to teach an old dog new tricksWilliam CamdenRemains Concerning Britain
The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the firsthalfFyodor Dostoevsky
Habit with him was all the test of truth, `It must be right; I've done it from my youth.'George CrabbeThe Borough
The habits of life form the soul, and the soul forms the countenanceHonoré De BalzacThe Abbé Birotteau
The regularity of a habit is generally in proportion to its absurdityMarcel ProustRemembrance of Things Past
Old habits die hard
Word lists with
habit
Religious clothing
In other languages
habit
British English: habit /ˈhæbɪt/ NOUN
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
He has an awkward habit of smiling at the wrong moment.
American English: habit
Arabic: عادَة
Brazilian Portuguese: hábito
Chinese: 习惯
Croatian: navika
Czech: zvyk
Danish: vane
Dutch: gewoonte
European Spanish: hábito
Finnish: tapa tottumus
French: habitude
German: Gewohnheit
Greek: συνήθεια
Italian: abitudine
Japanese: 癖
Korean: 습관
Norwegian: vane
Polish: zwyczaj nawyk
European Portuguese: hábito
Romanian: obicei
Russian: привычка
Latin American Spanish: hábito
Swedish: vana
Thai: ความเคยชิน
Turkish: alışkanlık
Ukrainian: звичка
Vietnamese: thói quen
All related terms of 'habit'
bad habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
bowel habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
dirty habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
drug habit
addiction to recreational drugs
porn habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
cocaine habit
an addiction to cocaine
crystal habit
the external shape of a crystal
dietary habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
habit-forming
(of an activity, indulgence , etc) tending to become a habit or addiction
heroin habit
A drug habit is an addiction to a drug such as heroin or cocaine .
riding habit
a woman's dress worn for riding , usually with a full or a divided skirt
savings habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
smoking habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
winning habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
annoying habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
exercise habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
feed a habit
A habit is an action which is considered bad that someone does repeatedly and finds it difficult to stop doing.
gambling habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
ingrained habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
lifelong habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
lifestyle habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
unhealthy habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
adopt a habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
disgusting habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
force of habit
If you do something from force of habit , you do it because you have always done it in the past , rather than because you have thought carefully about it.
habit of mind
If someone has a particular habit of mind , they usually think in that particular way.
unappealing habit
A habit is something that you do often or regularly.
creature of habit
If you say that someone is a creature of habit , you mean that they usually do the same thing at the same time each day , rather than doing new and different things.
make a habit of
If you make a habit of doing something, you do it regularly or often.
a creature of habit
If you say that someone is a creature of habit , you mean that they usually do the same thing at the same time each day, rather than doing new and different things.
in the habit of/into the habit of
If you are in the habit of doing something, you do it regularly or often. If you get into the habit of doing something, you begin to do it regularly or often.
改掉/养(養)成做某事的习(習)惯(慣) gǎidiào/yǎngchéng zuò mǒushì de xíguàn
1 (noun)
Definition
a tendency to act in a particular way
He has an endearing habit of licking his lips.
Synonyms
mannerism
Her mannerisms are those of a preoccupied academic.
custom
way
You'll have to get used to my mother's odd little ways.
practice
manner
The manner in which young children are spoken to depends on who is present.
characteristic
tendency
He has a tendency towards snobbery.
quirk
the quirks and foibles of people in everyday situations
propensity
She hadn't reckoned on his propensity for violence.
foible
proclivity (formal)
Los Angeles's unique proclivity for experimental arty endeavour
2 (noun)
Definition
established custom or use
It had become a habit with her to annoy him.
Synonyms
custom
It was his custom to approach every problem cautiously.
rule
The usual rule is to start as one group.
practice
a public inquiry into bank practices
tradition
She has carried on the family tradition of giving away plants.
routine
The players had to change their daily routine.
convention
a social convention
mode
the capitalist mode of production
usage
a fruitful convergence with past usage and custom
wont
Keith woke early, as was his wont.
second nature
3 (noun)
Definition
an addiction to a drug
Biting your nails is a bad habit.
Synonyms
addiction
She helped him fight his drug addiction.
weakness
obsession
yet another man with an obsession about football
dependence
Some doctors regard drug dependence as a psychological disorder.
compulsion
He felt a compulsion to talk about his sporting achievements all the time.
fixation
Somebody has a fixation with you.
4 (noun)
Definition
the costume of a nun or monk
She emerged having changed into her riding habit.
Synonyms
dress
a well-groomed gent in smart dress and specs
costume
Even from a distance, the effect of his costume was stunning.
garment
Put a fancy label on any garment and it gains credibility.
apparel (old-fashioned)
Women's apparel is offered in petite, regular and tall sizes.
garb
He wore the garb of a general.
habiliment
riding dress
(verb)
Synonyms
clothe
He was clothed in a dashing scarlet and black uniform.
dress
We dressed the baby in a warm outfit.
equip
The country did not have the funds to equip the reserve army properly.
array
a priest arrayed in white vestments
attire
idiom
See habit of mind
Quotations
Habit is a great deadener [Samuel Beckett – Waiting for Godot]It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks [William Camden – Remains Concerning Britain]The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half [Fyodor Dostoevsky]Habit with him was all the test of truth, `It must be right; I've done it from my youth.' [George Crabbe – The Borough]The habits of life form the soul, and the soul forms the countenance [Honoré De Balzac – The Abbé Birotteau]The regularity of a habit is generally in proportion to its absurdity [Marcel Proust – Remembrance of Things Past]
proverb
Old habits die hard
Additional synonyms
in the sense of apparel
Definition
clothing
Women's apparel is offered in petite, regular and tall sizes.
Synonyms
clothing,
dress,
clothes,
equipment,
gear (informal),
habit,
outfit,
costume,
threads (slang),
array (poetic),
garments,
robes,
trappings,
attire,
garb,
accoutrements,
vestments,
raiment (archaic, poetic),
schmutter (slang),
habiliments
in the sense of array
Definition
to dress in rich clothing
a priest arrayed in white vestments
Synonyms
dress,
supply,
clothe,
wrap,
deck,
outfit,
decorate,
equip,
robe,
get ready,
adorn,
apparel (archaic),
festoon,
attire,
fit out,
garb,
bedeck,
caparison,
accoutre
in the sense of compulsion
Definition
an irresistible urge to perform some action
He felt a compulsion to talk about his sporting achievements all the time.