hab ‧ it S3 W3 /ˈhæbət, ˈhæbɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ habit , ↑ habitué ; verb : ↑ habituate ; adverb : ↑ habitually ; adjective : ↑ habitual ]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin habitus 'condition, character' , from habere 'to have' ]
1 . USUAL/REGULAR [uncountable and countable] something that you do regularly or usually, often without thinking about it because you have done it so many times before:
Regular exercise is a good habit.
Thinking negatively can become a habit.
She has a habit of playing with her hair when she’s nervous.
Some people drink alcohol as much from habit as from desire.
by/from/out of habit (=because this is what you usually do in this situation)
I did it out of habit.
2 . DRUGS [countable] a strong physical need to keep taking a drug regularly:
A lot of drug addicts get into petty crime to support their habit.
heroin/cocaine etc habit
His cocaine habit ruined him physically and financially.
3 . not make a habit of (doing) something spoken used to say that someone does not usually do something bad or wrong, or should not do it again:
You’re ten minutes late. I hope you’re not going to make a habit of this.
4 . I’m not in the habit of doing something spoken used when you are annoyed, to say that you would not do something:
I’m not in the habit of lying to my friends.
5 . have a habit of doing something if something has a habit of doing something, it usually or often does it – used humorously:
Life has a habit of springing surprises.
6 . old habits die hard used to say that it is difficult to make people change their attitudes or behaviour:
She knew it probably wasn’t necessary any more, but old habits die hard.
7 . habit of thought/mind the way someone usually thinks about something, or their usual attitudes
8 . CLOTHING [countable] a long loose piece of clothing worn by people in some religious groups:
a nun’s habit
⇨ a creature of habit at ↑ creature (3)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have a habit (of doing something)
He has a habit of being late.
▪ something becomes a habit
Once you you have been driving for a few weeks, it becomes a habit.
▪ get into a habit (=start doing something regularly or often)
Try to get into the habit of walking for 30 minutes each day.
▪ get out of a habit (=stop doing something regularly or often)
She couldn’t get out of the habit of saying 'sorry'.
▪ break/kick a habit (=stop doing something that is bad for you)
I’ve smoked for years, but I really want to kick the habit.
▪ develop/form a habit
I developed a habit of eating porridge for breakfast.
▪ change your habits
It's sometimes difficult for people to change their habits.
■ adjectives
▪ a good/bad habit
Eating healthy food as snacks is a good habit to get into.
▪ eating/drinking habits (=the kinds of things you eat or drink regularly)
You need to change your eating habits.
▪ buying/spending habits (=the kinds of things you buy regularly)
The recession will mean that many people will be changing their spending habits.
▪ viewing habits (=the kinds of television shows you regularly watch)
Parents try to control their children’s viewing habits.
▪ sexual habits (=what you normally do in sexual relationships)
a survey of the sexual habits of gay men
▪ personal habits (=the things you normally do each day, for example keeping yourself clean or whether you smoke)
Some of his personal habits were unpleasant.
▪ social habits (=the things people normally do when they are with other people)
Television changed some of our social habits.
▪ an annoying/unpleasant/nasty habit
He had the unpleasant habit of eating with his mouth open.
▪ a strange/peculiar/odd habit
He had a lot of peculiar habits, one of them being to stare at you without blinking.
■ phrases
▪ be in the habit of doing something
On Friday evenings Carrie was in the habit of visiting her parents.
▪ (by/from) force of habit (=used about a habit that is difficult to change)
I still walk by his house each day - force of habit, I suppose.
▪ change/break the habits of a lifetime (=stop doing the things you have done for many years)
It is hard to change the habits of a lifetime, but you must eat more healthily or you will have a heart attack.
▪ have the unfortunate habit of doing something (=do something that makes other people feel embarrassed or offended)
Teenage girls have the unfortunate habit of laughing too loudly.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ habit something you do regularly, often without thinking about it:
Biting your nails is a bad habit.
|
I always go to the same supermarket, out of habit.
▪ mannerism a way of speaking or a small movement of your face or body that is part of your usual behaviour:
Even her mannerisms are the same as her sister’s.
▪ custom something that people in a particular society do because it is traditional or the accepted thing to do:
In Japan it is the custom to take off your shoes when you enter a house.
▪ tradition a belief, custom, or way of doing something that has existed for a long time:
The tradition of giving Easter eggs goes back hundreds of years.
|
In many countries, it’s a tradition for the bride to wear white.
|
It was a family tradition to go for a walk on Christmas Day.
▪ practice something that people often do, especially as part of their work or daily life:
The hotel has ended the practice of leaving chocolates in guests’ rooms.