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

The connectome offers real biological data that may help guide the design of artificial agents that move through virtual worlds, systems that are increasingly used to study intelligence and improve AI training.

From Science Daily • Jun. 10, 2026

“The executive pay initiative would, I hope, be used to hire staff and to actually provide better resources for our patients,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

It is plausible that some of the details he hoarded about his associates could have been used to pressure or influence them, though there is no evidence that this occurred in Gates's case.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

The patient Gameway manager, who used to work at GameStop, assured me it just takes practice and encouraged me to play at home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Wolf had never hunted reindeer, but he knew the scent well, for his mother used to bring him the branches that grow from reindeers’ heads, with the hide hanging off in delicious, chewable tatters.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver