periodically
Americanadverb
-
at irregular intervals of time; intermittently.
Internships of various types are available periodically.
You will need to recharge the battery periodically; the recharge interval will vary depending upon use.
-
at regular or somewhat regular intervals of time.
By periodically—perhaps monthly—performing this test, you can quantitatively assess the impact of your training.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of periodically
Explanation
When you do something periodically, you do it either occasionally or at regular intervals. Do you talk to your grandmother once every week or two? Then you can say you call her periodically. It's easy to get to the bottom of periodically by looking at the word period, in its sense of "course or extent of time." When things happen periodically, they occur after a period of time has passed, either a random length of time or a more regular interval: "That bird shows up at my window periodically" or "He periodically opens and closes the blinds just as the sun rises and sets."
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.
Periodically reassess where employees are in their stage of learning to determine their readiness for increased autonomy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 13, 2025
“We see periodically some press releases come out from China. Periodically, some papers come out, but it’s very few pieces of information we have,” Kulkarni said.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 25, 2025
Periodically, Anderson would check in with Del Toro as he wrote the rest of the screenplay.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025
Periodically review and update security settings, including 2FA methods and trusted contacts, to ensure that accounts remain secure even if devices are lost or compromised.
From Salon • Sep. 6, 2024
Periodically he would take all the bags and throw them out.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
