frequent
Americanadjective
-
happening or occurring at short intervals.
to make frequent trips to Tokyo.
-
constant, habitual, or regular.
a frequent guest.
-
located at short distances apart.
frequent towns along the shore.
verb (used with object)
-
frequents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
frequented,
past participle, past
-
frequenting
present participle
adjective
-
recurring at short intervals
-
constant or habitual
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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frequenternoun
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frequentnessnoun
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frequentableadjective
-
nonfrequentadjective
-
overfrequentadjective
-
unfrequentadjective
-
unfrequentableadjective
-
well-frequentedadjective
-
frequentlyadverb
-
nonfrequentlyadverb
-
overfrequentlyadverb
-
unfrequentlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
frequentsimple
-
frequentssimple
-
have frequentedperfect
-
has frequentedperfect
-
am frequentingprogressive
-
are frequentingprogressive
-
is frequentingprogressive
-
have been frequentingperfect progressive
-
has been frequentingperfect progressive
Past
-
frequentedsimple
-
had frequentedperfect
-
was frequentingprogressive
-
were frequentingprogressive
-
had been frequentingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of frequent
First recorded in 1400–50; (for the adjective) late Middle English: “ample, profuse,” from Latin frequent-, stem of frequēns “crowded, full, repeated”; verb derivative of the adjective
Explanation
Use the adjective frequent to describe something done often and at regular intervals. If your family likes to read, you may be a frequent visitor to the library. You may also have frequent arguments with your family about who gets to read a book first. The adjective form of frequent also means regularly and often encountered. If you live on the windward side of Oahu, Hawaii, you may experience frequent rain showers. As a verb, frequent means to be a regular visitor or to patronize. You can frequent the trails of the National Parks. You may prefer to frequent locally-owned businesses.
Vocabulary lists containing frequent
List 3
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Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 2
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Rosetta Stone's Essential Academic Vocabulary: Lesson 3
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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.
See Examples For:
“The negative impact from frequent typhoons in July is likely to subside in August, while domestic demand remains on the weak side.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Fires in large buildings are frequent in Pakistan, often due to poor safety laws and building codes as well as lax enforcement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Historically, pandemics have happened multiple times a century, and many scholars believe that they’ll become more frequent due to climate change and deforestation.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
Vitamin D deficiency has previously been associated with sleep problems including insomnia and more frequent nighttime awakenings.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Most important, it allowed them to get to work on a moment’s notice, should they suddenly be called up from one of the frequent temporary layoffs.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
It is hourly in the afternoons and the council said it had asked operators SPT if more frequents services were possible, but were told there was not enough demand to justify it.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Hotel rooms in an area of Utah he frequents should be no more than $110.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Derby Line resident Jonas Horsky, a Franco-American who frequents the library for its bilingual catalogue, told AFP he felt "nostalgic" for the days of unencumbered cross-border travel.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
Abraham is a two-hour bus ride from the programs she frequents, and even further from the neighbors she’d grown to rely on.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025
He told her about the wild and crazy parties he frequents with his entourage of drag queens, which got Lorena worked up.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
Witnesses working in a nearby restaurant said police had used tasers to arrest the woman, who was known locally as a homeless person who regularly frequented the area.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The properties are right on the water and have been frequented by several high-profile guests over the years, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Jennifer Aniston, and former President Barack Obama.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
For Angelenos who frequented the Ace Hotel, a maverick venue that helped revitalize downtown L.A. for a decade beginning in 2014, walking through Stile will feel both familiar and new.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Many frequented aid distribution sites, some got free haircuts from a charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The musings of the tlamatinime occurred in intellectual neighborhoods frequented by philosophers from Brussels to Beijing, but the mix was entirely the Mexicans own.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
As Wong and her team fought back, residents continued frequenting the space, donating their own books, tables and benches.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Like most dealership mechanics, he had to buy his own equipment, frequenting “tool trucks” to finance thousands of dollars in gear on payment plans up to $200 a week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
Gray became a birder overnight and has been frequenting Tompkins Square Park during migration seasons ever since.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2025
Rowan didn’t know if it was his imagination, but there seemed to be more scythes and known celebrities frequenting Goddard’s parties than when he first arrived.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
