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.
"We aren't people who run up to our celebrities, we usually leave them alone," Meinzer added.
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
"I end up reading mostly newspapers. I usually read stories about myself," he said.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
After we watch “Survivor,” usually what happens next is that we’ll end up going, “Should we watch a movie?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2026
Since the memory-chip business has largely been commoditized, companies like Micron usually could charge only slightly more for their chips than it cost to manufacture them.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 3, 2026
“How long does it usually take you to do your capturing?”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
