sporadically
adverb
spo·rad·i·cal·ly
spə-ˈra-di-k(ə-)lē 
: in a sporadic manner : not regularly or constantly
gunfire being heard sporadically
software updates that appear sporadically
Originally from the western Pacific Ocean, the shrimp have been spotted sporadically in U.S. waters for the past two decades.—
Rick Jervis
Rick JervisEven when the sun is being well behaved, parcels of plasma shoot sporadically toward Earth's dark side, prompting a bright aurora and intensifying radiation belts.—Tim Beardsley
Tim BeardsleyExamples of sporadically in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Both the 787 and the 737 Max have been plagued by production defects that have sporadically held up deliveries and left airlines short of planes during busy travel seasons.
—David Hamilton, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Scattered rain will sporadically fall across the entire county, and isolated lightning is possible.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Eventually all three left the garden but kept playing together sporadically.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
These boundary-layer clouds, or clouds in the lowest part of the atmosphere most impacted by Earth’s surface, are widespread across the globe and the world’s oceans, occurring sporadically year-round.
—Ayurella Horn-Muller, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
The camera sporadically captures an image of the freezer shelves and the technology assesses the quantity that’s left, sending alerts to Ben & Jerry’s parent company and its distributors.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
To take away the pass, the Warriors play Jokic straight up, sending double teams only sporadically and only late in the shot clock.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024
As part of larger efforts to control independent civil society, the government of President Mahmoud Abbas has sporadically frozen the center’s bank account.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
Although deepwater orcas have been spotted sporadically over the years, the study solidifies the hypothesis of a new subtype.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
David Hamilton, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Scattered rain will sporadically fall across the entire county, and isolated lightning is possible.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Eventually all three left the garden but kept playing together sporadically.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
These boundary-layer clouds, or clouds in the lowest part of the atmosphere most impacted by Earth’s surface, are widespread across the globe and the world’s oceans, occurring sporadically year-round.
—Ayurella Horn-Muller, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
The camera sporadically captures an image of the freezer shelves and the technology assesses the quantity that’s left, sending alerts to Ben & Jerry’s parent company and its distributors.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
To take away the pass, the Warriors play Jokic straight up, sending double teams only sporadically and only late in the shot clock.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024
As part of larger efforts to control independent civil society, the government of President Mahmoud Abbas has sporadically frozen the center’s bank account.
—Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
Although deepwater orcas have been spotted sporadically over the years, the study solidifies the hypothesis of a new subtype.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sporadically.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sporadically
Cite this Entry
“Sporadically.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sporadically. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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