habit
1 Americannoun
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habits
plural
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an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.
the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.
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customary practice or use.
Daily bathing is an American habit.
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a particular practice, custom, or usage.
the habit of shaking hands.
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a dominant or regular disposition or tendency; prevailing character or quality.
She has a habit of looking at the bright side of things.
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Often the habit addiction, especially to narcotics.
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mental character or disposition.
a habit of mind.
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characteristic bodily or physical condition.
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the characteristic form, aspect, mode of growth, etc., of an organism.
a twining habit.
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the characteristic crystalline form of a mineral.
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garb of a particular rank, profession, religious order, etc..
a monk's habit.
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the attire worn by a rider of a saddle horse.
verb (used with object)
idioms
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a tendency or disposition to act in a particular way
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established custom, usual practice, etc
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psychol a learned behavioural response that has become associated with a particular situation, esp one frequently repeated
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mental disposition or attitude
a good working habit of mind
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a practice or substance to which a person is addicted
drink has become a habit with him
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the state of being dependent on something, esp a drug
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botany zoology the method of growth, type of existence, behaviour, or general appearance of a plant or animal
a climbing habit
a burrowing habit
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the customary apparel of a particular occupation, rank, etc, now esp the costume of a nun or monk
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Also called: riding habit. a woman's riding dress
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crystallog short for crystal habit
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The characteristic shape of a crystal, such as the cubic habit that is characteristic of pyrite.
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The characteristic manner of growth of a plant. For example, grape plants and ivy display a vining habit.
Synonym Usage
See custom.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of habit1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Latin habitus “state, style, practice,” equivalent to habi- (variant stem of habēre “to have”) + -tus verbal noun suffix; replacing Middle English abit, from Old French
Origin of habit2
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English habiten from Old French (h)abiter, from Latin habitāre “to wear habitually; inhabit; see habitat
Explanation
Any action that you perform regularly as part of your routine can be called a habit. Flossing your teeth would be considered a good habit. Sucking your thumb would be considered a bad habit, especially as an adult. On New Year's people always vow to break their bad habits, but bad habits die hard. The noun habit can also refer to an established custom — like the habit of breaking bread with your family every holiday. On a completely different note, clothing that is worn for horseback riding, or by a nun or monk, can also be called a habit. All good nuns should be in the habit of washing their habits.
Vocabulary lists containing habit
The Poet X
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"The Sporting Spirit"
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Queen of the Sea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To wean themselves off this habit, they should practice talking shop with outsiders.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
When Donnelly started her television career in England, she got into the habit of buying homes, living in them and then fixing them up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
After completing the six weeks of supervised training, they were encouraged to practice their walking technique for at least 20 minutes each day until it became a natural habit.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
City's fans also waved hundreds of inflatable bananas, an old habit when they spent time in the lower leagues in reduced circumstances.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
At the crack of dawn, as was her habit, Old Emma started out to the shed.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Some advise taking a photo of the item for a birthday wish list, or using three jars—Save, Spend, Give—to build goal-oriented habits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
"We confidently recovered highly aquatic habits for Spinosaurus, indicating that it spent the vast majority of its time submerged in the water."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
She said the sessions help families develop creative habits while showing that many Halloween outfits can be made using items already found at home.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Skeptics could still support it for a human-centric reason, because mistreating AI systems could reinforce bad habits that make it more likely for those systems to mistreat humans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
But she had not been there two minutes when she found that Harriet’s habits of dependence and imitation were bringing her up too, and that, in short, they would both be soon after her.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
