to accustom (a person), as to a thing.
That summer wonted me to a lifetime of early rising.
to render (a thing) customary or usual (usually used passively).
See contraction.
irst recorded in 1300–50; (adjective) Middle English wont, woned, Old English gewunod, past participle of gewunian “to be used to” ( see won 2); cognate with German gewöhnt; (verb) Middle English, back formation from wonted or wont (past participle); (noun) apparently from conflation of wont (past participle) with obsolete wone “wish” in certain stereotyped phrases
A wont is a custom or habit, like my wont to drink at least ten cups of coffee a day. (In this particular example, some people might call my wont an addiction.) Wont is a tricky word, in terms of pronunciation; some people argue it sounds like want, while others insist it's pronounced like won't. Perhaps the confusion over pronunciation explains why this word is used relatively infrequently in everyday speech. It's most people's wont to use a synonym like custom or habit.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Minority Leader John Boehner, as was his wont, teared up at the ceremony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The market can do anything,” Richard Russell, the author of the Dow Theory Letters, was wont to remind his readers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Titled “Mary Magdalene,” it mixes fact and fiction, as in general seems to be Davis’ wont as a natural-born storyteller, always refining her tale through fabulation and embellishment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
The event was packed and it went on for many hours as his rallies are wont to do.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2024
“We wont catch none nowhere if we dont go on,” the third said.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
The current wave of ticket sales will be only for a category of seats, but won’t have a particular seat assignment yet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
“But it won’t occur organically, and it’s unlikely without strategic and timely infrastructure investments,” says the forecasting firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
But consumers paying nearly record-high prices for beef won’t see immediate relief at the grocery store.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
"We've been able to prove that Nigeria won't be a safe haven for them."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Mondays are Aunt J’s late day, and she won’t be home until after dinner.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Men with essential wonts and laudable aspirations, the attainment of which can be accelerated by the fostering love and enlightened zeal of a progressive government.
From Shadow and Light An Autobiography with Reminiscences of the Last and Present Century by Washington, Booker T.
“In woods, in waves, in wars, she wonts to dwell And will be found with peril and with pain.”
From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac
But I am more lonely than ever Rhistaun wonts of, for this I tell thee, when I hear the gods I know not what They say.
From Time and the Gods by Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, Baron
I wonts ter read de hymms an' songs.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, North Carolina Narratives, Part 1 by Various
Nothing wonts me to a new place more than the birds.
From Birds and Poets : with Other Papers by Burroughs, John
Bitter-leaning amaro, full of restorative herbs, is a wonted — and excellent — choice.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2021
Not only does the moment underline the fascination of Lecter, but it also subverts classical music’s wonted role as signifier of the good.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2017
I am prepared to sacrifice all ideas of rest and recreation to help the business regain its wonted position.
From Time Magazine Archive
She often seems daunted In the face of the wonted, But her manners are ruly and her hats are set wry.
From Time Magazine Archive
There was no position in reference to matter or objects; not the recognition of surfaces; the senses themselves collapsed and abrogated their wonted distinctions; and the body was left aware but bereft.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Wont, wont or wonted, wonting, wont or wonted.
From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold
By wonting thyself every moment to independence in judgment, joined together with serenity of thought and simplicity in act and bearing.
From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 3 by Mabie, Hamilton Wright
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
