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

There is no easy answer, because within F1 it's recognised that safety cars are part of the competitive jigsaw, and can be used to a team's advantage.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Students’ biggest fear on “solo” used to be encountering bears, but now it’s being alone with their thoughts, said Bruce Brough, a longtime faculty member.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

"I am deeply troubled that my likeness was manipulated and used to deceive the public," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Diesel is used to move everything that we eat, consume and produce, and gasoline is just used predominantly to move people around,” Smith said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Recollections were only ever used to understand a soul’s destiny, and that Recollection had been his.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman