usually
Americanadverb
adverb
Synonym Usage
See often.
Etymology
Origin of usually
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; usual ( def. ) + -ly
Explanation
If you usually do something, that’s what you do on a normal day. Tonight you might be making a seven-course meal to celebrate your birthday, even though usually you just get take-out pizza. Usual comes from the word use, and implies "the most common use." A screwdriver usually drives screws into something, or takes them out. Unusually, you have strung your screwdriver on a chain and are wearing it as a necklace. You can also say usually to describe the normal state of things: "On New Year’s Eve, this usually quiet street erupts with noise."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s usually interpreted to mean that insiders can’t say anything that is not in the prospectus.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026
El Niño’s impacts are usually felt strongest during the winter.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026
The TV was usually tuned to sports, but the patrons had switched on the business news.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
The tech professional is a member of Jakarta's "Playing Community", a group that gathers after work every Friday to let off steam in ways not usually associated with grown-ups.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
“I’ve seen those dresses in the pictures,” she said, “but they’re usually plastered in flowers. Where’d you get that one?”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
