habit

The word “habit” means something you do regularly, often without thinking about it. In plain terms, a behavior you repeat so often it becomes automatic.

“Habit” is pronounced HAB-iht (/ˈhæb.ɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “habit” used in a sentence: “Checking his phone first thing every morning had become a habit.”

“Habit” is a noun.

The word “habit” comes from Latin. From Latin habitus ("condition, dress, bearing"), from habere ("to have or hold") — distantly related to "gift.".

“Habit” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Habit” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: something you do regularly, often without thinking about it.

A "habit" is something you do regularly, often automatically and without thinking about it. A "routine" is a fixed sequence of actions done deliberately in a set order, such as a morning routine, so a routine can be planned while a habit is usually unconscious.

A "habit" is a repeated behaviour that may be easy or hard to change. An "addiction" is a strong, hard-to-break dependency, especially on a drug, so it is more severe, though "habit" can carry this stronger sense in phrases like "kick the habit."

A "habit" is usually an individual's regular, often automatic behaviour. A "custom" is a shared practice followed by a group, community, or culture, so habits are personal while customs are social.

Everyday phrases include "break a habit," "kick the habit," "force of habit," and "creature of habit." These reflect both the sense of a regular behaviour and that of a dependency that is hard to give up.