usually

adverb

usu·​al·​ly ˈyü-zhə-wə-lē How to pronounce usually (audio)
-zhə-lē;
ˈyüzh-wə-lē, 
ˈyüzh-lē
Synonyms of usually
: according to the usual or ordinary course of things : most often : as a rule : customarily, ordinarily
a trip that usually takes an hour
a time of year when the weather is usually hot
On weekdays, I usually biked alone around San Francisco.—Oliver Sacks
To establish a new epoch, geologists usually have to find clear evidence in the rock record of a massive, planet-altering shift.—Gayathri Vaidyanathan
Celebrity outbursts are usually so outrageous that the average person can't really relate to them.—Kyra Kyles
These chemicals usually do not kill the insects: a plant does not care whether predators die; it just wants them to go away and not come back.—Mark P. Mattson

Examples of usually in a Sentence

we usually go out to eat on Fridays
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Big stars don’t usually visit small venues in Denver, but in the space of about a month, The Grizzly Rose will have hosted a pair of the most popular names in country music. — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026 Reformers can, at least, keep pressing their case in the court of public opinion—usually a pre-condition for change, if no guarantee. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026 The case is unusual in that public controversies over data usually involve consumers, Mayu Tobin-Miyaji, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told the Miami Herald. — Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 The best one is Soho Mews House in Mayfair, which usually only allows visits from members who have belonged to Soho House years. — Mark Cecil, Robb Report, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for usually

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of usually was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Usually.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usually. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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