frequent
Americanadjective
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happening or occurring at short intervals.
to make frequent trips to Tokyo.
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constant, habitual, or regular.
a frequent guest.
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located at short distances apart.
frequent towns along the shore.
verb (used with object)
adjective
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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
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nonfrequentadjective
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overfrequentadjective
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unfrequentadjective
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unfrequentableadjective
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well-frequentedadjective
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frequentlyadverb
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nonfrequentlyadverb
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overfrequentlyadverb
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unfrequentlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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frequentsimple
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frequentssimple
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have frequentedperfect
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has frequentedperfect
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am frequentingprogressive
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are frequentingprogressive
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is frequentingprogressive
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have been frequentingperfect progressive
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has been frequentingperfect progressive
Past
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frequentedsimple
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had frequentedperfect
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was frequentingprogressive
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were frequentingprogressive
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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:
People with this attachment style may seek frequent reassurance from those close to them and struggle with low self-worth.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It also reported two US missiles hit Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant and a frequent target of Washington's strikes.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Revivals of “Merry Wives” are not all that frequent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Experian has a few theories: “Credit-card issuers may review your credit reports for signs of financial instability, such as excessive balances on revolving accounts, late payments or frequent cash advances.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
It seemed that Bobby had lapsed over the years into a state of increasingly frequent paranoia, believing as he did that people and organizations, bonded in a conspiracy, were out to persecute him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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
She shared a photo in the Amateur Microscopy Facebook group she frequents, noting it’s “the most famous algae in the world right now!!”
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
She plans to rewear an old dress for her son’s college graduation next month after being shocked by the $100-plus prices at the online retailers she frequents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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
This is not the sort of woman who usually frequents gallery openings, of any kind.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
As a means of crowd control, the National Park Service has attempted to funnel people out of the valley, where the majority of tourists spend their time and into its less frequented locations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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
Campaigners said it had made the beaches, once frequented by dog walkers, ramblers and anglers, a no-go zone.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Ask yourself when you’ve been happiest together—maybe when you were watching sports and ordering pizza, or wandering city streets and discovering eateries frequented by taxi drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Many of the Negroes who frequented Rubsamen’s Medical Supply noticed my grandfather’s preoccupation with the dream book, and after he won for two weeks in a row, word spread.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
I got my driver’s license and started frequenting independent coffee shops with exposed brick and pour-overs.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026
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
According to Woodward, the otter now frequenting Steamer Lane has been actively pursuing surfers nearly every day since Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night*!
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
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.
