Definition of wontnext

wont

2 of 3

noun

wont

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun wont differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of wont are custom, habit, practice, and usage. While all these words mean "a way of acting fixed through repetition," wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group.

as was her wont, she slept until noon

When could custom be used to replace wont?

The words custom and wont are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law.

the custom of wearing black at funerals

When might habit be a better fit than wont?

While the synonyms habit and wont are close in meaning, habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively.

had a habit of tapping his fingers

Where would practice be a reasonable alternative to wont?

The synonyms practice and wont are sometimes interchangeable, but practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice.

our practice is to honor all major credit cards

When would usage be a good substitute for wont?

Although the words usage and wont have much in common, usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm.

western-style dress is now common usage in international business

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wont
Adjective
  • For laundry, Airbnb says guests should no longer be asked to remove sheets from a bed or put a load in a washing machine, but they can be asked to gather used towels.
    — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hosts can still ask guests to complete simpler tasks, such as placing used dishes in the sink.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • These platforms aren’t necessarily focused on helping consumers build healthy financial habits to build long-term wealth; instead, they’re primarily focused on engagement and dopamine.
    — Aneri Jambusaria, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Many longtime residents have developed habits to calm their minds during these exceptional conditions — meditation, a dip in the ocean to trigger the calming mammalian dive response, support groups to talk through the pain.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The system monitors equipment conditions, identifies abnormalities, and can initiate automated responses.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
  • All this, not to mention the famous literary lunches initiated by Christina Foyle in 1930 and a fixture in the literary calendar for eighty years.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Hernández said the group wanted to use the platform to bring further awareness to the struggles immigrants continue to face in this country with an audience that notably skews more American than Los Tigres is accustomed to.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Long accustomed to finishing second to Spirit in Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue now ranks first in number of passengers.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Today, our constructor has reached into his evidently limitless bag of tricks to pull out a doozy of a Thursday grid.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The subtle, but unmistakable, undercurrent of apple sweetness struck me as a bit of a magic trick in a bread that, otherwise, to the eye and hand was just a soft white loaf.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The report stated the test was not aimed at any country or specific target, and that relevant governments were informed ahead of time.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The mass sampling and real-time information gathering on prediction markets can extend their utility to informing business decisions, according to Zitzewitz.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Yet the clubs from small markets with relatively low payrolls found ways to play the best baseball in each of their respective leagues this season en route to the World Series.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Learning from human demonstrations offers another way to develop skills by using examples of how a task should be performed.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Businesses are oriented around customer retention, and a 5% increase in customer retention can have exponential values in terms of long-tail capital.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The same study found that authentic leadership, oriented toward organizational benefit rather than personal positioning, directly offset that defensive pattern.
    — Aurelien Mangano, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Wont.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wont. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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