habits

IPA/hˈabɪts/
KK[hˈæbəts]IPA/hˈæbəts/

habits — noun

1. an action you repeat so often, sometimes without noticing, that it becomes part

1.nounA2
Definition

an action you repeat so often, sometimes without noticing, that it becomes part of how you usually behave.

Example

Reading before bed is one of Sahil's oldest habits.

common pattern: [activity] is one of [person]'s habits

Many of our daily habits, like brushing our teeth, happen almost on their own.

plural: 'daily habits' for a set of repeated actions

Common collocations
  • daily / weekly habits
  • good / bad habits
  • eating / sleeping / spending habits
  • form / build / develop a habit
  • break a habit
Synonyms
  • routine

    a fixed regular schedule, often planned; less automatic than a habit

  • custom

    a shared practice within a group or culture, not just one person

  • practice

    a regular thing one does, often deliberate; more conscious than a habit

Grammar Patterns

have a habit of + -ing

get into / out of the habit of

Usage Note

Often plural in real-life talk about a person's overall behaviour (eating habits, sleeping habits, study habits). Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is neutral, not always annoying.

Common Mistakes

I have the habit to wake up early.
I have the habit of waking up early.
'habit' takes 'of + -ing', not 'to + verb'.
She has habit of biting her nails.
She has a / the habit of biting her nails.
singular 'habit' needs an article.

2. a small repeated action someone does that bothers other people, like making a no

2.nounB1
Definition

a small repeated action someone does that bothers other people, like making a noise or interrupting.

Example

Sophia has the irritating habit of tapping her pen during meetings.

common frame: have the irritating / annoying habit of + -ing

One of Vinícius's worst habits is finishing other people's sentences.

structure: one of [person]'s worst habits

Common collocations
  • annoying / irritating / nasty habit
  • have a habit of + -ing
  • pick up a bad habit
Synonyms
  • quirk

    an odd small behaviour; usually milder and more amusing than annoying

  • tic

    a small involuntary movement or sound; often unconscious

Grammar Patterns

have an annoying habit of + -ing

Usage Note

Almost always paired with a negative adjective like 'bad', 'annoying', 'irritating', or 'nasty'. Distinguish from sense 1 (neutral): here the speaker is complaining.

Common Mistakes

He has a habit to chew loudly.
He has a habit of chewing loudly.
use 'of + -ing', not 'to + verb'.

3. a strong, often controlling need for a drug such as heroin, cocaine, or nicotine

3.nounB2
Definition

a strong, often controlling need for a drug such as heroin, cocaine, or nicotine, especially when stopping is very hard.

Example

After six months in rehab, Zola finally beat her heroin habit.

collocation: beat / kick a [drug] habit

Eli's nicotine habit was costing him over two hundred dollars a month.

structure: [person]'s [drug] habit + cost

Common collocations
  • drug / heroin / cocaine / nicotine habit
  • kick / beat / feed / support a habit
  • expensive habit
Synonyms
  • addiction

    more clinical and formal; covers drugs, alcohol, gambling

  • dependency

    formal / medical; emphasises being unable to stop without help

Grammar Patterns

a [drug] habit

kick / feed / support a habit

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by the drug name (heroin habit, nicotine habit). The verb 'kick' is the standard partner for 'quitting'. Distinguish from sense 1: an addiction has physical pull, not just repetition.

Common Mistakes

He stopped his drug habit.
He kicked his drug habit.
'kick' is the natural verb here.
She has habit of smoking.' (for addiction)
She has a serious smoking habit.
addiction sense needs an article and usually an adjective.

4. in the fixed phrase 'kick the habit': to finally stop doing something you have d

4.nounB2
Definition

in the fixed phrase 'kick the habit': to finally stop doing something you have done for a long time, especially something harmful like smoking or overeating.

Example

Emily has tried twice before to kick the habit, but she started smoking again last winter.

fixed phrase: kick the habit

After forty years of late-night snacking, Christopher finally kicked the habit.

structure: after [duration], [person] kicked the habit

Common collocations
  • finally kick the habit
  • try to kick the habit
  • kick the [drug / coffee / smoking] habit
Synonyms
  • quit

    more direct; pairs with the activity ('quit smoking') rather than the noun 'habit'

  • give up

    everyday phrasal verb; 'give up smoking' is interchangeable with 'kick the habit' here

Antonyms
  • relapse

    to start the old habit again after stopping for a while

Grammar Patterns

kick the habit

Usage Note

Distinct from sense 3: the focus here is on the act of quitting, not the addiction itself. Often used a little humorously about minor 'bad' routines (coffee, biscuits, late-night TV), not just hard drugs.

Common Mistakes

She kicked off the habit.
She kicked the habit.
no 'off'; the fixed phrase is 'kick the habit'.

5. a long, plain piece of clothing, usually black, brown, or white, worn by monks o

5.nounC1
Definition

a long, plain piece of clothing, usually black, brown, or white, worn by monks or nuns as part of their religious dress.

Example

The young nun adjusted her black habit before stepping into the chapel.

structure: adjust / wear a [colour] habit

Sofie was surprised to see the monks gardening in their brown habits and sandals.

plural: monks in their brown habits

Common collocations
  • black / brown / white habit
  • wear a habit
  • monk's / nun's habit
Synonyms
  • robe

    more general; any long loose religious or ceremonial garment

  • vestment

    formal; usually for clergy during services, not daily wear

Grammar Patterns

a [adjective] habit

in a habit

Usage Note

Restricted to religious-clothing context; outside this, switch to 'robe' or 'gown'. Often paired with a colour adjective (black habit, brown habit) that identifies the religious order.

Common Mistakes

The nun wore a habit dress.
The nun wore a habit.
'habit' alone already means the full religious garment; no 'dress'.

habits — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Habit, routine, custom, and practice all describe things people do regularly, but they sit in different places on the scale of awareness and scope. A habit is the most automatic — once it forms, the person barely notices doing it (biting nails, checking a phone). A routine is more conscious and planned: it is a sequence done in order, like a morning routine of shower, coffee, news. A custom is a shared way of doing something inside a family, group, or culture, not just one person — exchanging gifts at New Year is a custom, not a habit. A practice is a regular, often deliberate activity, frequently linked to work or values, like the company's hiring practice or a daily yoga practice. So: 'Mizuki has a habit of bowing slightly' (automatic personal action), 'Mizuki has a strict morning routine' (planned sequence), 'Bowing is a Japanese custom' (cultural), 'Mizuki has a daily meditation practice' (deliberate ongoing activity).

habit ↗routine ↗custom ↗practice ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • habit formation
  • eating habits
  • sleeping habits
  • study habits
  • shopping habits
  • buying habits
  • habit tracker

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

  • of (doing something)
  • into (a habit)
  • out of (a habit)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Habit came into English through Old French 'habit' from Latin 'habitus', meaning 'condition, appearance, dress' — the past participle of 'habere' (to have, to hold). In medieval Europe the word first named a person's outward dress, especially the clothing of monks and nuns (sense 5). From the same idea of an outer 'condition' or 'state', it then widened into the more abstract sense of a settled way of behaving — what someone habitually 'holds' as their manner. The drug-addiction sense (sense 3) is a much later figurative use, recorded mainly in 20th-century English, treating the dependence as a fixed personal 'state'.