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.
This usually happens when people structure their assets in ways that generate little or no taxable income, as retirees often do.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Considering new Green Lanterns are usually only called up when a current one dies, Jordan isn’t really keen on having to teach his “backup.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He said the winery usually produces 2,500 to 3,000 bottles per year.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
“There’s usually a kernel of truth,” he said.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Old Rowdy could usually outrun me, but it was all he could do to stay up with me.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
