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
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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:
Even though El Niño brings hotter and drier conditions to the north, researchers haven’t conclusively found it leads to larger or more frequent fires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
This works wonders for Jordan Ashley, the founder of Souljourn Yoga Foundation, who took advantage of Bangkok’s late-night spa culture when she was making frequent trips there for work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Scientists are confident human-induced warming is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Fatigue is among the most frequent and disabling symptoms reported by people with long COVID.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
While mass action had become less frequent after the turn of the century, individual rebellions remained common.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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
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
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
That's part of the reason Bacher began a weekly pickleball game frequented only by fellow Democratic voters.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
Separately, the Iranian cargo ship that U.S. forces seized in the Gulf of Oman this weekend is part of a fleet that frequented China, one of Tehran’s most important backers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
A database by the Texas Runaway Slave Project, which found listings for 2,500 runaways across various Texas newspapers from the 1840s through the 1860s, also documents the frequented journey to Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
Back in 1879, those clerks and salesmen and their wives who frequented bucket shops understood they were operating outside the bounds of Wall Street.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
We wanted to surprise them when they came home, so we frequented the public dump on early Saturday evenings to look for discarded paint and linoleum to brighten the inside of our house.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
As Wong and her team fought back, residents continued frequenting the space, donating their own books, tables and benches.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
Zach Haroutunian was a student in Boston in 2014 when he began frequenting Saks Fifth Avenue for Balenciaga sneakers, Dolce & Gabbana bags and other designer clothes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
Others are frequenting pricey stores such as Ralph Lauren, where doormen hand out hot chocolate and a cashmere-silk necktie sells for $250.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
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
John found great comfort in reading Spiritualist publications and started frequenting mediums.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
