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usually

/ˈjuʒli/
/ˈjuʒuəli/
IPA guide

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."

Definitions of usually
  1. adverb
    under normal conditions
    usually she was late”
Pronunciation
US
/ˈjuʒli/
UK
/ˈjuʒuəli/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘usually'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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