used to

British  

/ juːst /

adjective

1. made familiar with; accustomed to

   I am used to hitchhiking

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verb

1. (takes an infinitive or implied infinitive) used as an auxiliary to express habitual or accustomed actions, states, etc, taking place in the past but not continuing into the present

   I don't drink these days, but I used to

   I used to fish here every day

used to Idioms  

1. Accustomed or habituated to. This expression is often put as , 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]

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Usage

The most common negative form of used to is didn't used to (or didn't use to ), but in formal contexts used not to is preferred

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

used to

He said this could be done using relatively affordable equipment like radar-guided antiaircraft cannons and simple jet planes used to train combat pilots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

In some of the latest developments, Saudi Arabia closed its East-West pipeline — which had been used to bypass the largely impassable Strait of Hormuz — after drone attacks on the facility.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

To come home and play at the Rose Bowl, where he used to watch games as a fan, was emotional for Lindsay.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

"By the end of the day he used to be starving. But now he's coming home all happy because he's having good, healthy meals with a snack as well."

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

She did her best to be kind to us, and tolerant, but she was used to living alone, and sometimes, I think, she found it difficult to hide her irritation with us.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo