occasionally

adverb oc·ca·sion·al·ly \ ə-ˈkāzh-nə-lē , -ˈkā-zhə-nᵊl-ē \

Definition of occasionally

:on occasion :now and then

dines out occasionally

We occasionally see deer in the field.

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Examples of occasionally in a Sentence

Occasionally, things don't go as planned.
Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

Recent Examples of occasionally from the Web

That includes decades-old flood pumping stations along the Ohio River that protect tens of thousands of city residents and some crumbling sewer lines that date to the Civil War and occasionally collapse, creating dangerous sinkholes.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Sewer line sinkhole swallows portion of E. Main Street, potentially closing it for weeks," 30 Aug. 2017
Festival visitors and participants, some in period dress, sat on hay bales during the presentation while the sound of period shotguns being fired, one of the festival's many demonstrations, occasionally punctuated the air.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Aukiki festival garners state recognition," 30 Aug. 2017
The animals occasionally slip into the farms and help themselves to a meal.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Something is changing the sex of Costa Rican crocodiles," 30 Aug. 2017
Simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

— judy buchenot, Naperville Sun, "Retired teacher is still learning how to create dishes from garden," 22 Aug. 2017
The president has repeatedly scolded McConnell for the Senate GOP’s failure to enact health-care legislation and for insisting on maintaining occasionally inconvenient traditions like the legislative filibuster.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "The Trump-McConnell Feud Becoming a ‘Cold War’," 22 Aug. 2017
The weather was sunny Monday with scattered clouds, so the view was occasionally blocked when a cloud went across the sun.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Excited Harford County residents gather to view Monday's solar eclipse," 22 Aug. 2017
For a quart recipe, Jake Godby, co-owner of occasionally avant garde (like a foie-gras ice-cream sandwich)Humphry Slocombe, recommends taking eight ounces of beer and simmering it down to four ounces.

— Popular Mechanics, "How to Make Ice Cream," 4 Aug. 2017
The minor league report appears occasionally during the baseball season.

— john maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Minor league report: Local lefties off to hot starts," 2 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'occasionally.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of occasionally

15th century

occasionally Synonyms

Synonyms

here and there, now, now and then, sometimes

Related Words

intermittently, off and on, periodically, recurrently; infrequently, little, rarely, seldom; irregularly, sporadically, variously

Near Antonyms

frequently, hourly, much, oft, often, oftentimes (or ofttimes); commonly, ordinarily, regularly, routinely, usually; always, consistently, constantly, invariably; continually, continuingly, continuously, incessantly, perpetually, unceasingly, uninterruptedly; endlessly, ever, interminably

OCCASIONALLY Defined for English Language Learners

occasionally

adverb

Definition of occasionally for English Language Learners

: sometimes but not often

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for occasionally Spanish Central: Translation of occasionally Nglish: Translation of occasionally for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of occasionally for Arabic speakers

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occasionally

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