: familiar with something so that it seems normal or usual
I'm not used to driving this car yet.
He is used to criticism.
The dog will need a few days to become used to its new home.
She quickly got used to the warm weather.
1
—used to say a situation existed in the past but does not exist now
My grandmother said winters used to be harder here.
2
—used to say something happened repeatedly in the past but does not happen now
We used to go out more often.
They used to eat a lot of junk food but now they only eat healthy foods.
Examples of used to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
Maybe everyone started to get used to the elements, because on Wednesday night only seven runs were scored, but there were still 20 hits, five of which left the yard.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
The county’s water treatment facility, located adjacent to Piney Point off of Buckeye Road, has been used to clean and dispose of polluted water for the last several years, and is expected to play a crucial role in the site’s long-term closure.
—Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
There used to be more opportunities, in other words, to separate the wheat from the crud.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
The survey analyzed anonymized, aggregated workplace data from companies using the Glean Work AI platform, a private search tool used to manage their internal information.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
What used to be a slow month for recruiting is now integral to the process.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
But this technique can still be used to cool inebriated patients, Helberg said.
—Zuri Primos, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
State funds were not used to pay for the museum's travel or exhibit, Jayette Bolinski, director of communications for Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Verb
Banff World Media Festival-goers are used to unpredictable Canadian Rockies weather, where drizzling rain can become snow showers and then balmy sunshine over a single day due to geography and elevation.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
Maybe everyone started to get used to the elements, because on Wednesday night only seven runs were scored, but there were still 20 hits, five of which left the yard.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
The county’s water treatment facility, located adjacent to Piney Point off of Buckeye Road, has been used to clean and dispose of polluted water for the last several years, and is expected to play a crucial role in the site’s long-term closure.
—Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
There used to be more opportunities, in other words, to separate the wheat from the crud.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
The survey analyzed anonymized, aggregated workplace data from companies using the Glean Work AI platform, a private search tool used to manage their internal information.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
What used to be a slow month for recruiting is now integral to the process.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
But this technique can still be used to cool inebriated patients, Helberg said.
—Zuri Primos, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
State funds were not used to pay for the museum's travel or exhibit, Jayette Bolinski, director of communications for Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said in a statement.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Used to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/used%20to. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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