Occasionally Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms occasionally American [uh-key-zhuh-nl-ee] / əˈkeɪ ʒə nl i /

adverb

1. at times; from time to time; now and then.

occasionally British / əˈkeɪʒənəlɪ /

adverb

1. from time to time

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of occasionally

First recorded in 1615–25; occasional + -ly

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.

These films break through a dense documentary market with their stirring portraits of wars, political leaders, activists, artists, musicians, movements, and occasionally, regular people like you and me.

From Salon

The Guardian also gave it three stars, describing the listening experience as "nice all the time, good, occasionally".

From BBC

Instead, they must send officers whose misconduct they deem severe to disciplinary panels, which occasionally lead to lighter penalties.

From Los Angeles Times

My dream guy occasionally nudged me to pet him or offer a treat.

From Los Angeles Times

Junior employees assigned to look over those summaries occasionally claimed to find tiny errors only to have Petrou insist they triple check.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hardly
• infrequently
• periodically
• seldom
• sometimes
• sporadically

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.