Meaning & use
kick the habit
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Meaning
phraseidiominformal
to stop doing something that you do regularly and that is bad for you, especially smoking or using drugs
Grammar: Fixed phrase; you can say 'kick the habit' or 'kick a habit', but the definite article is most common. It is intransitive.
Patterns
- kick the habit
- try to kick the habit
- help someone kick the habit
He's been trying to kick the habit for years, but he still smokes.
She finally kicked the habit after her doctor warned her about her health.
It's hard to kick the habit when all your friends smoke.
Common combinations
- kick the habit for good
- After twenty years, he finally kicked the habit for good.
- struggle to kick the habit
- Many people struggle to kick the habit on their own.
- help someone kick the habit
- The clinic offers support to help people kick the habit.
- a way to kick the habit
- Nicotine patches are one way to kick the habit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quit
- More neutral and direct; you can quit a job or a habit, but 'kick the habit' is only for bad habits and is more informal.
- give up
- British English equivalent that is also used for hobbies and other things; 'kick the habit' is specifically for bad habits.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: kick the habit or kick off?
kick the habit vs kick off
'Kick off' means to begin something, especially a game or event; 'kick the habit' means to stop a bad habit.
Practice
After years of smoking, my uncle finally ______ the habit.
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is 'kick the habit'. 'Break a habit' is possible but less common and usually means to stop a minor habit; 'make' and 'take' do not fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kick the habit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.