wont to
8
9.3
- idiom
- Archaic
:
acostumbrado a
- He is wont to jog in the early morning before work.
Examples
-
The demonstrations have, as they are wont to do these days, turned violent in a number of places.
Blog text (9) -
There must be something you are wont to do.
-
Jimmy Carter may have gotten it wrong, as he is wont to do, but there is.
Blog text (29) -
George became enraged, as he was wont to do.
-
You were wont to be kinder than this.
-
As other people are wont to do in these sorts of situations, they assumed the best.
Blog text (8) -
As he is wont to do, Sherlock does eventually open up a little.
Blog text (15) -
He was wont to come home wounded.
-
Thereafter, he was wont to say that one did not need to be solemn to be serious.
Academic text (2000) -
Many economists and their political allies are wont to blame the adverse economic indicators on government social programs.
Academic text (1994)
Synonyms
1
9.9
A usual way of doing things or behaving
Antonyms
How Habitual
Surface Forms
Morphology
wont + to
The meaning 'in the habit of doing something' is directly derivable from combining 'wont' (a usual manner or habit) with 'to' (marking tendency/infinitive), so the sense follows compositionally from the parts. Although the phrase is somewhat formal or archaic and therefore less frequent, a B1 learner who knows both constituents would be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Wont to may come from an old word that meant 'to live' or 'be used to'. Imagine a person who always takes a walk each morning — they are wont to do it, which is why today the phrase means 'in the habit of' or 'likely to' do something.