regular

1 of 2

adjective

reg·​u·​lar ˈre-gyə-lər How to pronounce regular (audio)
ˈre-g(ə-)lər,
 also  ˈrā-
1
: constituted, conducted, scheduled, or done in conformity with established or prescribed usages, rules, or discipline
2
a
: recurring, attending, or functioning at fixed, uniform, or normal intervals
a regular income
a regular churchgoer
regular bowel movements
b
: orderly, methodical
regular habits
3
a
: formed, built, arranged, or ordered according to some established rule, law, principle, or type
b(1)
: both equilateral and equiangular
a regular polygon
(2)
: having faces that are congruent regular polygons and all the polyhedral angles congruent
a regular polyhedron
c
of a flower : having the arrangement of floral parts exhibiting radial symmetry with members of the same whorl similar in form
4
a
: normal, standard: such as
(1)
: absolute, complete
a regular fool
the office seemed like a regular madhouse
(2)
: thinking or behaving in an acceptable, normal, or agreeable manner
was a regular guy
b(1)
: conforming to the normal or usual manner of inflection
(2)
c
of a postage stamp : issued in large numbers over a long period for general use in prepayment of postage
5
: of, relating to, or constituting the permanent standing military force of a state
the regular army
regular soldiers
6
: belonging to a religious order

regular

2 of 2

noun

1
: one who is regular: such as
a
: one who is usually present or participating
especially : a long-standing regular customer
b
: one who can be trusted or depended on
a party regular
c
: a player on an athletic team who usually starts every game
d
: one of the regular clergy
e
: a soldier in a regular army
2
: something of average or medium size
especially : a clothing size designed to fit a person of average height
Choose the Right Synonym for regular

regular, normal, typical, natural mean being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average.

regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern.

the club's regular monthly meeting

normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected.

normal behavior for a two-year-old

typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality.

a typical small town

natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being.

the natural love of a mother for her child

Example Sentences

Adjective Most days she follows a regular routine. The town holds regular meetings. five regular payments of $100 We made regular use of the pool. Getting regular exercise is important. Exercise has become a regular part of my lifestyle. He is a regular contributor to the magazine. The seedlings were planted in regular rows. The wallpaper has a regular pattern of stripes. Noun They are regulars at the bar. He is a regular on the television show. the regulars on a baseball team “What kind of gas do you put in your car?” “I use regular.” We'll have one large soda and two regulars. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The teams entered the contest with nearly identical records and split their two regular-season meetings. James Weber, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2023 The Golden Eagles took care of business Tuesday night in Indianapolis with a dominant 72-56 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse for their first outright Big East regular season championship. Emmett Prosser, Journal Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2023 Chychrun has put up 171 points in 382 regular-season and playoff games. Stephen Whyno And John Wawrow, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Mar. 2023 Purdue has claimed the Big Ten's regular-season championship despite this recent downturn. Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2023 Indiana basketball concludes its regular season against Michigan in Big Ten action. Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2023 For the Cardinals to start winning games in the short term, assuming Murray isn’t ready for the first few weeks of the regular season or longer, the team must identify tangible replacements at quarterback. Bob Mcmanaman, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2023 The team didn’t lose any of its focus or momentum in its regular-season finale this past Saturday with Montana State-Billings, despite having already secured a playoff berth. Josh Reed, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Mar. 2023 With 20 games left to serve on that ban, the 24-year-old Tatis won’t be eligible to play in the regular season until at least April 20. Stephen Hawkins, ajc, 1 Mar. 2023
Noun
One is peopled by characters who know about Peggy Jo and her exploits, including a waitress who knew Peggy Jo as a regular. Chris Vognar, Chron, 1 Mar. 2023 For tiles around the main pool and elsewhere, Wendle approached artist Marcel Dzama, an Esencia regular, who hand-painted them with lizards and other native fauna. Sarah Medford, WSJ, 2 Dec. 2022 Nhan's niece, Fonda Quan, said Nhan was a regular at the Star Ballroom for more than a decade. David Begnaud, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2023 The former tenant, who asked not to be identified, said Tran was a regular at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio as well as the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, where two people took a gun away from Tran following the Star Ballroom shooting. Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 24 Jan. 2023 Adam Kimmerly of Ramona, California, is a regular at these events. Larry Kahaner, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2023 The premier league club said the musician was a regular at Selhurst Park, and confirmed the team would walk out to Faithless on Boxing Day in tribute to the late singer. Rolling Stone Uk, Rolling Stone, 24 Dec. 2022 Casey Balsham is a New York City comic who has toured the country and is a regular at New York Comedy Club and Gotham. Anchorage Daily News, 10 Nov. 2022 An accomplished dancer, Mr. Siems was a regular at the Hunt Ball and attended Maryland’s springtime timber races. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 20 Oct. 2022 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English reguler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin regularis regular, from Latin, of a bar, from regula rule — more at rule

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 6

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of regular was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near regular

Cite this Entry

“Regular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regular. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

regular

1 of 2 adjective
reg·​u·​lar ˈreg-yə-lər How to pronounce regular (audio)
1
: belonging to a religious community and living by its rules
2
a
: formed, built, arranged, or ordered according to an established rule, law, or type
b
: having all sides or faces equal and all angles equal
a square is a regular polygon
c
: even or balanced in form or structure
especially : having radial symmetry
regular flowers
3
a
: being in the habit of following a method : orderly, methodical
b
: returning or acting at fixed times
4
a
: following established or prescribed uses or rules
b
: being such without any doubt : complete, unmitigated
a regular scoundrel
c
: following the normal or usual manner of changing tense
regular verbs
5
: of, relating to, or being a permanent army of a country
regularly
ˈreg-yə-lər-lē
adverb

regular

2 of 2 noun
1
: a member of the clergy who belongs to a religious community
2
: a soldier in a regular army
3
: a player on an athletic team who usually starts every game

Medical Definition

regular

adjective
reg·​u·​lar ˈreg-yə-lər How to pronounce regular (audio)
1
: having or constituting an isometric system
regular crystals
2
: conforming to what is usual or normal: as
a
: recurring or functioning at fixed or normal intervals
regular bowel movements
b
: having menstrual periods or bowel movements at normal intervals
regularly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on regular

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