force of habit

force of habit

An impulse to do something because one does or has done it habitually. Used to describe an unconscious mistake that results from following one's routine rather than choosing the correct action for the circumstances. After living next door to Anna for 50 years, I call our new neighbor "Anna" by force of habit. A: "Why did you just turn left? We're going to the bank." B: "Force of habit. That's the way I take to work."
See also: force, habit, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

force of ˈhabit

a tendency always to do things in a certain way because you have always done them in that way: I don’t know why I check all the locks every time I leave the house. It’s force of habit, I suppose.
See also: force, habit, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • by force of habit
  • wear one's heart on one's sleeve, to
  • make a habit of
  • make a habit of (doing something)
  • make a habit/practice of something
  • be dead on (one's) feet
  • dead on (one's) feet
  • dead on feet
  • dead on one's feet
  • dead on your feet
References in periodicals archive
Waleswere saved by a couple of shocking French errors and sheer force of habit as they achieved a great escape in a thrilling 24-19 comeback win in the Six Nations opener at the Stade de France on Friday.
Force of habit and French blunders save Wales
They call it force of habit. However you may want to call it, habits play a very important role in developing your personality and making you, well, uniquely you.
Same dog, New Year, new tricks
What the police or speed cameras can't do is put your seatbelt on, it should be a force of habit by now but here again, drivers prefer to dice with death as two out of three people who died in road accidents last year were not wearing one.
Are Cyprus police overworked and underrated?
Of course, there's always the chance the Sky Sports camera trucks will, through sheer force of habit, stop 70 miles short of the Riverside stadium and set up in Leeds.
Bore draw repeat looks unlikely
Connecting to a Wi-Fi spot seems to be a force of habit, as 46 percent of consumers worldwide said they can't wait more than a few minutes before logging into a network, or asking the owner of the hotspot for the password, whether it be a cafe spot or at a friend's house.
Consumers Can't Control Their Need To Use Free Wi-Fi, Risking Private Data
Force of Habit has the instrumental makeup of any other jazz ensemble.
A different kind of habit
The inquest heard that the house in Ystradgynlais, near Swansea, had a downstairs toilet but Jason used the upstairs one due to "force of habit".
Dad died after fall downstairs through loose baby gate
Fans will flock to St James' Park genuinely excited about the football on display once again - even though the opposition at the very least will be of a lesser standard - rather than just turn up at the ground every other weekend merely out of a force of habit.
Newcastle have enjoyed a Rafa-inspired honeymoon period - the Fulham game has crept up on us; Rafa Benitez staying on, transfers and the overhaul at Newcastle United have almost distracted us from the real business..
This is the routine cruelty of a security cabal, its humanity withered by years in power: it is genocide by force of habit. ("Counter-Insurgency on the Cheap," London Review of Books, August 15, 2004)
Alex de Waal and Sudan's Bashir: Irony or perverse self-congratulation?
Through force of habit, Shinji Okazaki left after an hour.
FOXES DO NOT PLAY ...TO WIN! IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE WORLD OF EASY BETTING WITH DEREK McGOVERN
But the doctrine sometimes sounds more like force of habit. A-A?A1/2It has worked for us for decades,A-A?A1/2 Air Force Secretary Deborah James told a congressional committee last month.
The new nuclear arms race
Partnered for the first time by William Easterby, he was held up off the pace for the first two circuits before cruising into contention down the back straight and took it up from Force Of Habit at the last.
No need to tune up veteran Old Piano; POINT TO POINT
Is it really overriding worry about identity theft and money-laundering, or is it more the force of habit in an industry that has long shunned poor neighbourhoods and customers?
NY's ID Card Deserves Respect
The hosts, Askham Bryan College, sponsored the Men's Open race, where Force of Habit continued Sarah Dent's good vein of form, the trainer having won the Hurworth's equivalent with Executive's Hall.
POINT TO POINT
Every day, people succumb to denial--including investors, financial advisors and yes, politicians, who occasionally practice denial as a force of habit.
The penny-wise, pound foolish strategy of denial