periodically

Everyday

1. Periodically means happening again and again, from time to time. tree →
2. It can mean happening at regular times, like every week or every year. tree →

In the lessons

In science it describes things that repeat, like checking a plant or the Moon's phases; in everyday life and safety it says how often to check things, like smoke alarms. In maths it hints at a pattern that repeats. Phrases: checked periodically, update periodically.

Examples

• Check the smoke alarm periodically. tree →
• We measured the plant periodically to see it grow. tree →
• The comet returns periodically. tree →
• Dad periodically clears out the garage. tree →
• The teacher periodically reminded us to save our work. tree →
• Water the seeds periodically, not every minute. tree →
• The computer updates itself periodically. tree →

Note

An adverb from «periodic» and «period». Note «-ically» (periodically, not «periodicly»). It does not always say exactly how often; if a problem says «every 3 days», use that number.