hab·it
Pronounced:
/ˈhæbət/
Function:
nounInflected forms:
plural hab·itsMeaning:
1 : a usual way of behaving : something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way [count] ▪ It was his habit to take a nap after dinner every evening. ▪ It's important that parents teach their children good study/eating habits. ▪ He fell/got into some bad habits after graduating from college. ▪ It's never easy to break/kick a bad habit. ▪ Old habits die hard. [=it is hard to stop doing things that you have been doing for a long time] —often followed by of + -ing verb ▪ He had a habit of coughing when he was nervous. ▪ He has an annoying/irritating habit of cracking his knuckles. ▪ Things have a nasty habit of not turning out the way you expect them to. [=things often do not turn out the way you expect them to] [noncount] ▪ He still gets up early every day from habit. ▪ She always closed the door softly out of habit. ▪ He reached into his pocket for his keys by/from force of habit. [=he did it without thinking because it is what he usually does] ▪ I'm a creature of habit. [=I always do the same things in the same way] ◊If you are in the habit of doing something, you do it often or usually. ▪ I'm in the habit of reading before I go to bed. ◊If you say that you are not in the habit of doing something, you mean that you do not do it or that you do not usually do it. ▪ I'm not in the habit of getting involved in other people's arguments. ▪ I'm not in the habit of making predictions, but I don't think there's much doubt about who will win this election. ◊To get in/into the habit of doing something means to do something in a regular or repeated way so that it becomes a habit. ▪ I had gotten into the habit of reading before going to bed. ▪ She got in the habit of leaving her keys on the counter so she wouldn't forget them. ◊To fall/slip into the habit of doing something is to begin to do something in a regular way without realizing that you are doing it. ▪ It's easy to fall into the habit of not eating enough for breakfast. ◊If you make a habit of doing something or make it a habit to do something, you do it often. ▪ They have made a habit of criticizing each other whenever possible. ▪ The team has made a habit of winning the crucial games. ▪ Yes, you can leave work early today, but don't make a habit of it.
2 [count] : a strong need to use a drug, to smoke cigarettes, etc. ▪ He hasn't been able to kick his cocaine habit. ▪ I used to have a three-pack-a-day cigarette habit. [=I used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day]
3 [count] : a piece of clothing worn by members of a religious group ▪ a monk's/nun's habit
2 [count] : a strong need to use a drug, to smoke cigarettes, etc. ▪ He hasn't been able to kick his cocaine habit. ▪ I used to have a three-pack-a-day cigarette habit. [=I used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day]
3 [count] : a piece of clothing worn by members of a religious group ▪ a monk's/nun's habit