usual
Americanadjective
-
habitual or customary.
her usual skill.
- Synonyms:
- accustomed
-
commonly met with or observed in experience; ordinary.
the usual January weather.
- Synonyms:
- regular, familiar, prevalent, prevailing, general
-
commonplace; everyday.
He says the usual things.
- Synonyms:
- predictable
noun
idioms
adjective
noun
-
ordinary or commonplace events (esp in the phrase out of the usual )
-
informal the habitual or usual drink, meal, etc
Synonym Usage
Usual, customary, habitual refer to a settled and constant practice. Usual indicates something that is to be expected by reason of previous experience, which shows it to occur more often than not: There were the usual crowds at the celebration. Something that is customary is in accordance with prevailing usage or individual practice: It is customary to finish up with a bonfire. That which is habitual has become settled or constant as the result of habit on the part of the individual: The merchants wore habitual smiles throughout the season.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of usual
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Late Latin ūsuālis, equivalent to Latin ūsu-, stem of ūsus “use” ( see use (noun)) + -ālis -al 1; compare Old French usuel
Explanation
If a customer at a restaurant orders their usual, it means they're ordering the same thing they always get — nothing new, unexpected, or out of the ordinary. How's this? The word usual describes things that happen regularly or follow a familiar pattern. If you take the same route to school every day, that’s your usual way there. Usual can also apply to habits. For example, if you check the mail at the same time every day, then you have a usual time for checking the mail. Anything that is typical, regularly occurring, or expected can be described as usual.
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:
The ship lacks the usual clanging metal rigging of a modern sailboat, so the two-hour, $80 journey was nearly silent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
On Wednesday, the usual bad-tempered jibes and angry exchanges witnessed in the political theatre of the weekly Prime Minister's Questions, were replaced by gentle ribbing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Netflix should please the stock market when it reports earnings on Thursday — even if there is the usual “sell the news” response.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Their usual range is from Santa Barbara to Baja California, although it has been shifting north as climate change heats the oceans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
I could hear Tansy in my head, telling me how I’d left everything to the last minute as usual.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
I’m Kelvin Washington, alongside the usuals, Yvonne Villarreal, we got Mark Olsen as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026
The writer pointed to the standard empirical data points – consumer confidence, morale, the usuals – but eventually landed on the basic plausible theory that chasing down conspiracies is just plain fun.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2025
It is a Tuesday afternoon and I am sitting in the hairdressers, having both my usuals: a short back and sides and a mild attack of awkwardness.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 17, 2016
It’s not just the usuals — your Wolf Blitzers, your Charlie Roses, et al. — this time.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2015
We get in the long line and get our usuals, a Caesar salad for her, a burger and milk shake for me, and a heaping plate of french fries for us to share.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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.
