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.
The party told the paper that he only stayed on the boat "occasionally".
From BBC • May 12, 2026
“Intimate Audrey” occasionally strays close to elevating its subject to sainthood, mostly in material regarding her unselfish work for Unicef in Somalia and Ethiopia, which Mr. Ferrer believes broke both her heart and her health.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Even Scott Jennings, the foul-mouthed Kentuckian with a habit of picking Derby losers and rumored to occasionally sip Tennessee whiskey instead of Kentucky bourbon, has been caught trashing the president — off camera.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
He also occasionally misses the heightened competition and quest to make the major leagues of affiliated baseball.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
But he was also a professional in the business of occasionally belligerent ghosts, and it would take much more than this to rattle him.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
