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habit

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noun American English pronunciation: habit /ˈhæbɪt/ 
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singularhabit
pluralhabits
  1. 1
    [countable/uncountable] something that you do often or regularly, often without thinking about it

    healthy eating habits

    a good/bad habit:

    Don’t pick up any bad habits from your friends.

    be in the habit of doing something:

    They were in the habit of taking long walks.

    get in/into the habit of doing something:

    George has gotten in the habit of calling me regularly.

    out of habit/from force of habit (=because it is what you usually do):

    Whenever I walk by her building I look up at her window from sheer force of habit.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  habitThesaurus entry for this meaning of habit
    1. a.
      [countable] something that you often do without intending to or without realizing that you are doing it, which can annoy other people
      have the habit of doing something:

      He had the annoying habit of tapping the table when he was nervous.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  habitThesaurus entry for this meaning of habit
    2. b.
      [countable] a physical need to do something regularly such as smoke cigarettes or take drugs

      He started stealing to finance his heroin habit.

      kick/break the habit (=stop it):

      Over 10 million smokers have succeeded in kicking the habit.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  habitThesaurus entry for this meaning of habit

phrases

This is the American English definition of habit. View British English definition of habit.

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vocal fry

a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence

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a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons

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