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

Google also insists guidelines built into its AI model will prevent the creation of imagery depicting "harmful topics", however BBC Verify has found that small changes to prompts can be used to bypass these guidelines.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

“Leo used to tell me, ‘Kid, I have boots older than you,’” Brown said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Flores turned over roughly 90 recordings to his superiors, according to an internal affairs complaint he filed with the department last year, which said he hoped the evidence would be used to discipline those responsible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Mark Hulbert: A break below this critical stock-market threshold used to signal panic for investors.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026

That was what he and Fa used to do when they came upon a stinking kill-site or a bat-infested cave.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver