occasionally

[ uh-key-zhuh-nl-ee ]

/ əˈkeɪ ʒə nl i /

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See synonyms for occasionally on Thesaurus.com

adverb

at times; from time to time; now and then.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of occasionally

First recorded in 1615–25; occasional + -ly

Words nearby occasionally

occas., occasion, occasional, occasionalism, occasional licence, occasionally, occasional table, occasions, Occident, occidental, Occidentalism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use occasionally in a sentence

The young woman receiving Clarkson’s texts is a state employee whose job requires her to occasionally interact with the attorney general.
Alaska’s Attorney General on Unpaid Leave After Sending Hundreds of “Uncomfortable” Texts to a Young Colleague|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News|August 25, 2020|ProPublica
They have occasionally shown a willingness to swing the ball side-to-side and get Embiid good position on duck-ins, but that willingness tends not to last, and before long they are back straining to make entry passes on stagnant post-ups.
When Joel Embiid Posts Up, The Celtics Are Ready|Jared Dubin|August 21, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Though their defensive experiments might occasionally end in losses, they exemplify what has made this year’s squad a serious threat to get back to the NBA Finals even after losing arguably the best player in the league in Kawhi Leonard.
The Raptors’ Defense Is Almost Never The Same, But It’s Always Really Good|Jared Dubin|August 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Small, sharpened stones were also found among grass and ash remains, suggesting that people occasionally sat on cave bedding while making stone tools.
The oldest known grass beds from 200,000 years ago included insect repellents|Bruce Bower|August 13, 2020|Science News

When Sims and Humphries analyzed Berni’s results in 2015, they found that normal larvae placed on an expanse of agar containing no food occasionally moved in a way that approximated a Lévy walk.
Random Search Wired Into Animals May Help Them Hunt|Liam Drew|June 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine
We won't find out this season, though it comes up occasionally.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
His peers remember him as a bright man who spoke softly and occasionally came across as a bit shy.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Occasionally, a level will take 20 or more strokes to complete.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Occasionally a pamphlet for a salsa class might be tossed on a doorstop or stuck on a pole near a bus stop.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A male and female who do most of the mating dominate packs, and younger subordinates only breed occasionally.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He conducts this ceremony with the greatest solemnity, occasionally pronouncing these incantatory words, "Plate or shell, sah?"
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")
Occasionally this artist has painted genre subjects, but her real success has not been in this direction.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
Occasionally the nucleus is irregular in shape, "clover-leaf" forms being not infrequent.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Occasionally, over a narrow stream, a frail footbridge would be built.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Occasionally faint sounds came from the distance—the movements of cleaners at work, a raised voice, the slamming of a door.
Uncanny Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for occasionally

occasionally

/ (əˈkeɪʒənəlɪ) /

adverb

from time to time

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

occasionally

Origin of occasionally

Words nearby occasionally

Words related to occasionally

How to use occasionally in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for occasionally