usually
Americanadverb
adverb
Synonym Usage
See often.
Etymology
Origin of usually
First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English; usual ( def. ) + -ly
Explanation
If you usually do something, that’s what you do on a normal day. Tonight you might be making a seven-course meal to celebrate your birthday, even though usually you just get take-out pizza. Usual comes from the word use, and implies "the most common use." A screwdriver usually drives screws into something, or takes them out. Unusually, you have strung your screwdriver on a chain and are wearing it as a necklace. You can also say usually to describe the normal state of things: "On New Year’s Eve, this usually quiet street erupts with noise."
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.
"It's not normally a leaders meeting," Bowen told reporters in the run-up to the talks, which are usually held at the ministerial and senior-negotiator level.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
After you reach age 65, you can withdraw HSA money for nonmedical reasons without incurring a 20% penalty, although your withdrawals are usually still taxable as ordinary income.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The “Cornell Seven” case brings questions I usually study around the world painfully close to home.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
“I think what’s said on the field, the way I grew up in this game, usually stays on the field,” McCarthy said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Since this isn’t our normal route, I don’t usually see the building that has caused all this drama in Davey.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
