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break old habits
/breɪk oʊld ˈhæbɪts/
stop doing something repeatedly
I used to smoke, but I broke old habits last year.
The speaker stopped their repetitive behavior of smoking.
informal
to stop engaging in repetitive or ingrained behaviors
It's hard to break old habits like biting your nails.
Stopping the repetitive action of nail-biting.
She broke old habits by waking up early every day.
She stopped her usual late rising habit.
Often used to describe changing personal behaviors or routines.
Collocations
hard to break old habitsdifficult to stop a repeated behaviortry to break old habitsattempt to change a repeated behavior
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Use with 'try' or 'need to'
The phrase often appears with verbs like 'try,' 'need to,' or 'want to' to express intention: 'I need to break old habits.'
Gold Rule
Not literal
This phrase is figurative. It doesn’t involve physical breaking; it means stopping a repeated action.
Word Origin
The phrase combines 'break' (to stop or end) and 'old habits' (repeated behaviors). The verb 'break' has been used metaphorically since the 14th century to mean 'to end a state or condition.' The phrase emerged in the 19th century as a figurative expression for behavioral change.
Usage Notes
Commonly used in personal development contexts. Often implies effort or struggle to change ingrained behaviors.
Word Breakdown
break
to stop or end
verbold
long-standing or repeated
adjectivehabits
repeated behaviors
nounEnglish Dictionary