Break a habit means to stop doing something you do regularly, to get rid of a habit. It can be a harmful habit, like smoking, or something small, like checking email late at night.
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break a/the habit; break the habit of + -ing; broke (past)
- It took him months to break the habit of biting his nails.
- Breaking a bad habit is easier with support from friends or family.
- She's trying to break her habit of checking emails late at night.
What changed
First versionI really want to throw this habit of checking my phone every five minutes.
RevisionI really want to break this habit of checking my phone every five minutes.
Throw is a tempting choice for describing getting rid of something, since it works for so many other things you no longer want. But throw a habit isn't said in English. The verb that goes with habit is break, and in conversation also kick: kick the habit. So throw needs to become break.
Habit is followed by of + -ing: break the habit of skipping breakfast, not the habit to skip. The opposite is get into the habit of, to start doing something regularly: I got into the habit of running before work.
Your turn
He finally managed to ___ of smoking after ten years.
Show the answer
break the habit — The sentence is about quitting smoking, and quitting a habit is expressed with break the habit. Throw doesn't go with habit, so the second option is wrong.
Talk about a habit you'd like to get rid of: what it is and why it's hard to break.
I want to break the habit of scrolling through social media in bed, but it's hard because my phone is also my alarm clock.
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