properly
Americanadverb
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in a way that is appropriate to the purpose or circumstances; suitably.
Students should ensure that a current valid parking permit is properly displayed on their vehicle.
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correctly.
His recent statement gave the wrong impression and does not properly reflect where he stands on the issue.
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in a way that conforms to established standards of behavior or manners.
They usually dress very properly, but sometimes a bit daringly, hoping to start the latest new trend.
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Origin of properly
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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.
The environmental nonprofit Surfrider Foundation also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that the FAA failed to properly assess the Boca Chica facility’s environmental impact on the local ecosystem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
‘Prawned cocktail, coronation chicken, Black Forest gateau, onion soup. Done properly, they’re all delicious. Where’s all that kind of food gone?’
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
But the second half requires the first to function properly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
During a two-day hearing at the High Court earlier this week, barristers for the MoJ said the Parole Board had failed to assess Razzell's risk properly and called for the decision to be reversed.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I am glad to hear it. For how could Lord Ashton and I take a pleasant turn in a carriage of a Sunday, if our horses were not properly shod— eek! Is that a pimple?”
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
