habit
[noun]
Synonyms:
- mannerism, custom, practice, proclivity, propensity, quirk, tendency, way
- addiction, dependence

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Related Words: bent, disposition, inclination, proclivity, tendency, turn, convention, fashion, form, mode, pattern, style, addiction, groove, rote, routine, rut, set, carcass, framework, contour, outline

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English Thesaurus: habit, mannerism, custom, tradition, practice, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

hab‧it S3 W3 /ˈhæbət, ˈhæbɪt/ 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)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

habit
noun
ADJ. annoying, anti-social, bad, dirty, disconcerting, horrible, irritating, nasty, unfortunate Life has a nasty habit of repeating itself.
charming (often ironic), endearing, good one of his more endearing habits her charming habit of setting fire to cats
eccentric, odd | old | daily, regular | personal, sexual, social I found some of his personal habits rather disconcerting.
buying, shopping, spending an effort to change the buying habits of the British public
dietary, drinking, eating, feeding | reading, viewing women's television viewing habits
drug, smoking trying to kick the smoking habit
VERB + HABIT be in, have She had been in the habit of drinking five or six cups of coffee a day. She's got some very annoying habits.
He had an irritating habit of singing tunelessly about the house. | acquire, develop, fall into, form, get into, make I had fallen into my old bad habit of leaving everything until the last minute.
Try to get into good habits and eat regular healthy meals. Make a habit of noting down any telephone messages.
become Don't let eating between meals become a habit.
break (yourself of), get out of, give up, kick a difficult habit to break
You must break yourself of the habit. I had got out of the habit of going to the pub.
change
HABIT + VERB change Even last year the nation's eating habits changed significantly.
PREP. by ~ Much of what we do in daily life is done by habit.
out of ~ I sat in my old seat purely out of habit.
PHRASES a creature of habit Horses are creatures of habit and like to have a daily routine.
force of habit Mr Norris bellowed from force of habit.
the habit of a lifetime It's hard to change the habits of a lifetime.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

habit

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.
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.
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.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

habit
noun
1.
BAD: It is a habit in Japan to take off your shoes before entering a house.
GOOD: It is a custom in Japan to take off your shoes before entering a house.

Usage Note:
CULTURE · CUSTOM · HABIT · MANNER · MANNERS · TRADITION
Culture (1) the customs, ideas, art, etc, which are found in a particular society or group and which make it different from another society or group: ‘Obeying your parents is a hallmark of Asian culture.’
(2) the art, music, literature, etc, that is produced by a particular society: ‘Professor Jackson is an expert on ancient Greek culture:’ ‘The Samba is an important part of Brazilian culture.’
Custom (1) something that the people in a particular society have done (in the same way) for a very long time, and which they consider to be normal or polite: ‘One of their customs is to point with the thumb, not with the index finger.’ ‘According to local custom, his body was carried to the top of a hill and cremated.’ ‘His knowledge of Malay and Indonesian customs proved invaluable when we got to Bali.’
(2) something that a person usually does in a particular situation: ‘His custom of making detailed preparatory drawings makes him unique amongst 18th century British painters.’ ‘On Wednesday evening, as was his custom, he went for a long walk.’
Habit something that a person does repeatedly, often without realizing it: ‘She has a lot of little habits that I find really irritating.’ ‘In California I got into the habit of eating with just a fork.’
Manner (singular) the way someone behaves towards people: ‘She impressed us all with her business-like manner.’ ‘His cheerful face and polite manner have won him a lot of friends.’
Manners (plural) the way someone behaves towards people, especially when compared with what is accepted as polite behaviour: ‘The child has very good manners and always says thank you.’
Tradition a belief, custom or way of doing something that has been passed on from one generation to the next: ‘The tradition was that when a man died, all his wealth and possessions would go to the eldest son.’

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2.
BAD: Once one has taken the habit, smoking is very difficult to give up.
GOOD: Once one has acquired the habit, smoking is very difficult to give up.

Usage Note:
acquire/adopt/develop/get into a habit (NOT take ): 'He's developed the unfortunate habit of biting his fingernails.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

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.
practise British English, practice American English verb [intransitive and transitive] to do an activity many times in order to improve your skill or to prepare for a test:
The course will give you a chance to practise your language skills.
He was practising his golf swing.
You need to practise regularly if you're going to be a good piano player.
train verb [intransitive] to practise physical movements or activities in preparation for a race or game:
He's training for the Olympics.
rehearse verb [intransitive and transitive] to practise a play, speech, or music in preparation for a public performance:
She's in New York where she's rehearsing her new play.
The band are currently rehearsing for their world tour.
work on something to practise a particular skill so that your general performance improves:
You need to work on your listening comprehension.
go/run through something to practise something such as a speech, play, or piece of music by reading or playing it from the beginning to the end:
I'll just run through the speech one more time.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲