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.
Asher’s, while primarily responsible for its own brand of chocolate bars and other assortments, will occasionally produce chocolate for bands, brands, charities and other companies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
His prose is energetic, occasionally overexuberant — and, above all, a paean to Capra’s enduring importance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
"I never faced official restrictions on my cartoons during the previous governments, though there would be some trolling occasionally," he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
A later Greek poet warned others “not to tread the road of Euripides,” but Ms. Hall occasionally wanders down the path.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
“We swam in the Roman swimming pool, we bicycled over country roads, we drove occasionally in the Stutz Bearcat belonging to a young bachelor engineer,” she remembered.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
