customarily

adverb

cus·​tom·​ar·​i·​ly ˌkə-stə-ˈmer-ə-lē 

-ˈme-rə-

: by or according to custom or established practice

clothing customarily worn for formal celebrations

: in accordance with what is customary or usual

the order in which the different courses are customarily served

In addition to administering the oath of office to the president on Inauguration Day, the chief justice customarily administers two oaths to each of his new colleagues.

—John Paul Stevens

Examples of customarily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Treatment was largely ad hoc and depended to a considerable degree on individual commanders, but customarily prisoners would be exchanged or placed on parole—granted their freedom but required by oath not to return to military action. —Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which customarily handles shootings involving officers in the Peach State, is handling the investigation, which remains ongoing. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Feb. 2026

More such fastidiousness will be needed to arrest the domino effect of delegitimization and to renew the small guarantees of truth and dignity in public life customarily provided by legacy institutions. —Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

This customarily needs to be done at the start of therapy and when taking on new clients. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for customarily

• arbitrarily
• militarily
• momentarily
• necessarily
• ordinarily
• secondarily
• temporarily
• voluntarily
• airily
• caroli
• merrily
• verily