Skip to main content
wont

wont

2 9.3
A usual way a person does things
  • noun
  • /wəʊnt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : costumbre
  • As is her wont, she always arrives early to meetings to prepare her notes.

Examples

  • As it happened, Japan's perennially dominant party was on the electoral ropes at the time and, as is its wont in such circumstances, turned to a charismatic maverick in the person of Junichiro Koizumi with a view to enhancing its flagging appeal to Japanese voters.

    Academic text (2003)
  • It is the wont of the kings of the Cyrgai to periodically test that curse.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Lying down or slightly raised, as was his wont, the man could see nothing of the valley.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • As was her wont, Chicken Little saved the feature articles for last.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • You both went in, but when my people arrived, - he had disappeared, as is his wont.

  • Gudjen walked directly into them as was her wont; folk yielded to her one by one.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • After church, it was her wont to idle away a good half hour exchanging commonplaces with her neighbors.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • According to my wont, I faxed back the typographical errors and kept the galleys themselves for my library.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • He would no longer poke or slash, as had formerly been his wont.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Benson protests, as is Benson's wont, pointing out that Pops gets scared at even the mildest of spooky stories.

    Blog text (3)

Synonyms

habit
vswont
630 1.0

A regular action you do often without thinking

is broader and means a person's usual practice not only automatic acts
habitude
vswont
9.9

A regular way that a person behaves often without thinking

is about a person's usual behavior rather than an abstract pattern

Idioms

wont to
  • Archaic
8 9.3

Often does something because it is a habit

How Habitual

second nature
  • Informal
15 3.5
habit
630 1.0
wont
  • Archaic
2 9.3
routine
354 1.0
practice
613 1.4

Surface Forms

wont singular
wonts plural

Etymology

Wont comes from the old English verb gewunian, which meant 'to be used to'. So, a person's wont is their regular habit or the usual way they do things.