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.
The places where Baltzor typically ranges her cattle in the mountains were ravaged by record-size wildfires this summer, robbing them of the grass the herds usually eat. — Anna King, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026 That means the overwhelming majority of House seats are effectively won in primaries, with the support of only a fraction of voters who usually are at the extreme ideological end of their party. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Even those who have succumbed to cancer are able to be sent off like this, since toxic chemotherapy drugs are usually long gone from the body by the time of passing. — New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026 Several kids braved the 37-foot-tall slide, their screams echoing from inside the metal tube before popping out (usually with a smile). — Idaho Statesman, 23 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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