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.
This usually happens when people structure their assets in ways that generate little or no taxable income, as retirees often do.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
"Glasgow is a multicultural and diverse city, and there is usually a high level of tolerance," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Considering new Green Lanterns are usually only called up when a current one dies, Jordan isn’t really keen on having to teach his “backup.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Even when the tomatoes are gone and the bread stall is picked clean, you can usually find some jar of something sharp, spicy and brined: giardiniera, hot peppers, spicy dills, pickled carrots.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Even the cattails that usually stand straight and tall, protecting the marsh, look weighed down, their heads heavy, slanted sideways, like they’re reaching toward the cool water for some relief.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
