used to

British  

/ juːst /

adjective

1. made familiar with; accustomed to

   I am used to hitchhiking

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verb

1. (takes an infinitive or implied infinitive) used as an auxiliary to express habitual or accustomed actions, states, etc, taking place in the past but not continuing into the present

   I don't drink these days, but I used to

   I used to fish here every day

used to Idioms  

1. Accustomed or habituated to. This expression is often put as , as in I'm not used to driving a manual-shift car , or She can't get used to calling him Dad . [Early 1500s]

2. Formerly. This sense is used with a following verb to indicate a past state, as in I used to ride my bicycle to the post office , or This used to be the best restaurant in town . [Late 1800s]

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Usage

The most common negative form of used to is didn't used to (or didn't use to ), but in formal contexts used not to is preferred

Example Sentences

The app is being used to confirm the drinking age of users at supermarkets, book doctors’ appointments and enter museums.

From The Wall Street Journal

Medications such as modafinil are sometimes used to promote wakefulness, but these drugs have mainly been studied in overnight workers and can interfere with sleep later in the day.

From Science Daily

The 15 winners, who used to work 14-hour days together in the finance team, made a pact to stay connected throughout the years by contributing £5 to the lottery draw.

From BBC

Figures used to calculate this are different to the pure pre-tax loss.

From BBC

The extra cents you pay at the pump are used to fund roads and other transportation infrastructure, making them a perfect example of user-pays excise taxes.

From MarketWatch