used to

used to

1. Used before an uninflected verb to indicate an action or state that was done or existed formerly or previously. (The verb is sometimes dropped if referenced earlier.) I used to be a high school principal, before I changed careers. A: "Do you have guitar I could borrow?" B: "I used to, but I sold it last year."

2. Familiar with or habituated to someone or something. Is she getting used to her new job? I know Gregory can be a bit pretentious at times, but you get used to him after a while. I never could get used to driving on the other side of the road when I lived in England.

See also: used

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*used to someone or something

Fig. accustomed to someone or something; familiar and comfortable with someone or something. (*Typically: be ~; become ~; get~.) I am used to eating better food than this. I am used to the doctor I have and I don't want to change.

See also: used

used to do something

to have done something [customarily] in the past. We used to go swimming in the lake before it became polluted. I used to eat nuts, but then I became allergic to them.

See also: used

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

used to

1. Accustomed or habituated to. This expression is often put as be or get used to , as in I'm not used to driving a manual-shift car, or She can't get used to calling him Dad. [Early 1500s]

2. Formerly. This sense is used with a following verb to indicate a past state, as in I used to ride my bicycle to the post office, or This used to be the best restaurant in town. [Late 1800s]

See also: used

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.