Definition of customary
1 : based on or established by custom customary laws
2 : commonly practiced, used, or observed customary acts of courtesy his customary enthusiasm
From the M-W Editors
Examples of customary in a Sentence
He forgot the customary “thank you.”
It is customary to hold the door open for someone who is entering a building behind you.
She dressed in her customary fashion.
He did the work with his customary efficiency.
Recent Examples of customary from the Web
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Mattis has sought to keep a low profile on his trip, declining to do customary interviews with reporters traveling with him on his plane.
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The school segregates males and females by grade 4 as is customary throughout the deeply conservative kingdom.
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PARIS (AP) — As anyone who ever has played or watched tennis — professional or recreational — knows, the post-match handshake at the net is as much a customary part of the sport as a racket, ball or serve.
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With Kerr still dealing with health issues related to a back surgery, keeping him from his customary spot on the bench, Brown has stepped in.
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The majority would like to see the Cup contested more frequently: every two years instead of the now-customary three or four.
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His customary running pattern is leisurely out of the gate, then gangbusters late.
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The Panthers trotted out a starting offensive line at Seattle that included just one player in his customary spot – left guard Andrew Norwell.
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The two sealed their friendship with a transaction of weathered documents, the Octopus community’s customary medium of exchange.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'customary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of customary
see 1custom
First Known Use: 1552
Synonym Discussion of customary
CUSTOMARY Defined for English Language Learners
customary
playDefinition of customary for English Language Learners
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: usually done in a particular situation or at a particular place or time
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: usual or typical of a particular person
CUSTOMARY Defined for Kids
customary
playDefinition of customary for Students
1 : usual in a particular situation or at a particular place or time Throwing a … net was the customary method of capture. — Carl Hiaasen, Hoot
2 : typical of a particular person She answered with her customary cheerfulness.
Learn More about customary
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for customary Spanish Central: Translation of customary Nglish: Translation of customary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of customary for Arabic speakers
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