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.
Early on, and for the rest of his life, these pieces, usually executed with black chalk, showed unfailing skill with respect to proportion, rendering and grasp of the model’s pose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
NPH is one of the few causes of dementia that can be controlled or reversed with surgical treatment, usually involving the placement of a shunt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
They were not just the sides who often dominated the top positions in the table, but also had the biggest fanbase, most financial clout and were usually the league's most successful sides.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
This dual activity was particularly surprising because plastic degradation and antibiotic breakdown are usually considered separate biological functions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Red led us deep into The Woods, much deeper than I’d usually go.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
