Meaning & use
drink habit
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Meanings
nouncountable
A regular pattern of drinking alcohol, especially when it is considered excessive or a problem.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'a' or in the plural, e.g. 'a drink habit', 'drink habits'.
Patterns
- have a drink habit
- develop a drink habit
- someone's drink habit
His doctor warned him that his drink habit was damaging his liver.
She decided to cut down on her drink habit after the New Year.
The survey asked about students' drink habits and how often they went out.
nouncountable
A usual way of drinking a particular beverage, such as coffee or tea, especially in terms of frequency or type.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural to talk about different people's routines.
Patterns
- coffee drink habit
- someone's drink habit
My coffee drink habit means I have three cups before lunch.
Changing your drink habit from soda to water can help you sleep better.
Word forms
| plural | drink habits |
|---|
Common combinations
- a heavy drink habit
- He had a heavy drink habit that worried his family.
- a daily drink habit
- A daily drink habit can be hard to break.
- kick the drink habit
- She finally kicked the drink habit after years of trying.
- a drink habit develops
- A drink habit often develops slowly over time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drinking habit
- Very similar, but 'drinking habit' is more common and can refer to any liquid, not just alcohol.
- alcohol habit
- More specific and slightly more formal; it only refers to drinking alcohol.
Word family
Commonly confused: drink habit or drinking habit?
drink habit vs drinking habit
'Drinking habit' is the more standard phrase and can refer to any drink; 'drink habit' is less common and usually suggests alcohol.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'drink habit' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Drink habit' is a noun phrase meaning a regular pattern of drinking, often alcohol. Option B uses it correctly as the object of 'developed'. Option An is wrong because 'drink habit' is not used with 'of' in that way; you would say 'a coffee-drinking habit'. Option C uses it as a verb, which is incorrect. Option D is awkward because 'drink habit' usually implies alcohol, not water.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “drink habit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.