occasionally
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of occasionally
First recorded in 1615–25; occasional + -ly
Explanation
Something that happens occasionally doesn't happen all the time, just every once in a while. You play poker occasionally just to remind yourself that you always lose. The adverb occasionally is good for things that happen every now and then. You get tired of the cold occasionally, but the snow is lovely. Occasionally, you think of your long lost love, but never write. The idea comes to you occasionally that you should move somewhere with more people and warmer weather. I worry about you occasionally.
Vocabulary lists containing occasionally
"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
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Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
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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.
Thoroughly good-natured, entertaining and occasionally suggestive of “Jackass” in a batting helmet, “Return of the Clowns” will be preceded by a Clowns-Bananas game from Cincinnati at 7 p.m.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
Yes, Congress can and does occasionally do this, but not the agency’s own leaders, especially without advance notice or an opportunity for comment.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
According to Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report, 69 percent of Canadians at least occasionally avoid the news now.
From Science Daily • Jun. 16, 2026
Singleton adds that in the chaos of fatherhood, friendships occasionally fall to the wayside.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Sarah White, the ladies' waiting room matron, noticed the small man with a short beard and dark clothing occasionally wiping the sweat from his face.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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.
