usually

Usually means in most cases, almost every time. I usually walk. She is usually here by nine. It sits high on the scale of frequency adverbs, above often and below always.

Its position in a sentence follows the standard rule for these adverbs and is worth learning as a rule: before the main verb, after the verb be, and after the first auxiliary. I usually go, I am usually late, I have usually finished by then. Putting it at the start is possible and slightly emphatic: usually, we eat at seven. The adjective is usual, and as usual is a fixed phrase meaning as always, generally said with a sigh.

Phrases it lives in

• as usual — as always — most often said about something mildly irritating