often

adverb

of·​ten ˈȯf-tən How to pronounce often (audio) ˈȯ-fən How to pronounce often (audio)
Synonyms of often
: many times : frequently
… are often puzzled and sometimes annoyed by the ways of other peoples …—W. A. Parker

Synonyms of often

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of often in a Sentence

They go out to dinner fairly often. How often do you call your mother? The condition often returns even after treatment with antibiotics. I often take a walk during my lunch break. He travels more often than I do. The disease is diagnosed most often in children. They seem to be getting into arguments more and more often. It's not often that I get to enjoy a day off. Water the plants often enough to keep the soil moist.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Willis should be able to produce on the ground, but the Dolphins might get behind often this season and fall into heavy passing scripts. — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Unions serve as a vital counterbalance in an economy where corporate profits and executive salaries often overshadow the needs of the workforce. — Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026 The virtual cubes could often identify their shape even if 15 percent of them had been removed, as well as decide which cubes were missing and regenerate neighbors. — Matthew Hutson, Scientific American, 6 Sep. 2026 Records from older disasters are often incomplete, and some estimates include people who died from famine, disease and displacement in the months that followed, while others count only deaths directly caused by the flood. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for often

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, alteration of oft

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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

Phrases Containing often

Rhymes for often

See All Rhymes for often

Browse Nearby Words

oft
often
oftenness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Often.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/often. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All