used to
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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.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 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.
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.
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]
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.