used to

used to

1. Used before an uninflected verb to indicate an action or state that was done or existed formerly or previously. (The verb is sometimes dropped if referenced earlier.) I used to be a high school principal, before I changed careers. A: "Do you have guitar I could borrow?" B: "I used to, but I sold it last year."
2. Familiar with or habituated to someone or something. Is she getting used to her new job? I know Gregory can be a bit pretentious at times, but you get used to him after a while. I never could get used to driving on the other side of the road when I lived in England.
See also: used
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*used to someone or something

Fig. accustomed to someone or something; familiar and comfortable with someone or something. (*Typically: be ~; become ~; get~.) I am used to eating better food than this. I am used to the doctor I have and I don't want to change.
See also: used

used to do something

to have done something [customarily] in the past. We used to go swimming in the lake before it became polluted. I used to eat nuts, but then I became allergic to them.
See also: used
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

used to

1. Accustomed or habituated to. This expression is often put as be or get used to , 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]
See also: used
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • as one does
  • by half
  • 10-4
  • come in
  • come in a certain position
  • come on in
  • be (flat) on (one's) back
  • (Is) that everything?
  • a little goes a long way
  • Fanny's your aunt
References in periodicals archive
In short, it can be used to appeal any procedural aspect of a lien, including whether an IRS refusal to withdraw it is appropriate.
Can also be used to compatibilize dissimilar plastics in alloys and blends.
The same sand composition that will be used when and if a prototype needs to be manufactured in bulk is used to create the sand blocks that are machined into cores and molds.
The quiz/test tool can also be used to release quizzes/tests to students based on multiple criteria.
This suite of Aroclor transformer oil SRMs consists of individual Aroclors in the same transformer oil that was used to prepare RM 8504 and is intended for use in the determination of PCBs in oil.
The same computer power that yields strong encryption can be used to break weak encryption schemes.
Thus, turbidity became one of the measurement tools used to track success or failure.
A Hindustani word, lotahs are water containers used to clean yourself after using the toilet.
The same intuition can be used to avoid unhealthy natural and man-made energy fields, allowing for safer house placement and location of stress-free sleeping areas.
It is also used to freeze-dry some vegetables and remove fat from animal products such as powdered eggs.
The compressed air used in paintball markers and other air guns is the same gas used to inflate life jackets and lifeboats.
The aggregates used to produce PCC pavement and structural PCC for buildings will have similar, if not the same, aggregate used.
I will mention specific products I used to make it easier for the reader to prepare an "emergency solo kit" for the day he/she will experience in the inevitable life of a solo practitioner.
Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of any use and consistent use of condoms, and the associations between levels of condom use and STDs.
There is some pollution associated with the chemical kraft process used to produce pulp from kenaf, though it is substantially less pollution than that of virgin wood pulping.