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habit

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noun British English pronunciation: habit /ˈhæbɪt/ 
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singularhabit
pluralhabits
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    [countable/uncountable] something that you do often or regularly, often without thinking about it

    healthy eating habits

    a good/bad habit:

    He had acquired some rather bad habits at college.

    be in the habit of doing something:

    They were in the habit of going for long walks.

    get in/into the habit of doing something:

    George has got into the habit of going to bed late.

    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 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 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 habit

phrases

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

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View the pronunciation for habit.

 

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