periodically

periodically — adverb

1. again and again after similar lengths of time, often as part of a plan for check

1.adverbB2
Definition

again and again after similar lengths of time, often as part of a plan for checking, updating, or repeating something.

Example

The clinic emails patients periodically to remind them about flu shots.

mid-sentence: verb + periodically

Workers check the bridge periodically for small cracks after winter storms.

planned checks at repeated intervals

Common collocations
  • check periodically
  • review periodically
  • update periodically
  • back up periodically
Synonyms
  • regularly

    broader and more common; can describe habits as well as timed repetition

  • routinely

    often stresses that the action is part of normal procedure

  • repeatedly

    shows recurrence, but not always with similar time gaps

  • at set intervals

    more explicit about fixed spacing between times

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

mid-sentence: subject + periodically + verb

front-shifted: Periodically, + clause

end-position: clause + periodically

Usage Note

Often used for planned actions such as checks, reports, backups, or maintenance. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense suggests roughly even gaps or a repeated routine, not simply separate moments with pauses.

Common Mistakes

The school checks periodically the fire alarm.
The school checks the fire alarm periodically.
in end-position, 'periodically' goes after the object, not between the verb and its object.
The nurse checks your blood pressure continuously every two hours.
The nurse checks your blood pressure periodically every two hours.
'continuously' means without stopping; 'periodically' means at repeated intervals.

2. at separate moments during a stretch of time, with breaks in between instead of

2.adverbB2
Definition

at separate moments during a stretch of time, with breaks in between instead of one steady action the whole time.

Example

Rain fell periodically through the afternoon, then the sky cleared.

not continuous; repeated with gaps

Lina looked up periodically from her book to watch the door.

subject + verb + periodically + from phrase

Common collocations
  • wake periodically
  • click periodically
  • look up periodically
  • fall periodically
Synonyms
  • intermittently

    more formal; often used for machines, signals, or symptoms

  • occasionally

    usually about infrequent events; less focused on stop-start rhythm

  • now and then

    informal and conversational

  • at times

    broad expression for certain moments within a period

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

verb + periodically + during [time period]

Periodically, + plural noun + verb

subject + verb + periodically + from/to + phrase

Usage Note

Common with weather, noises, body movement, or short actions that come back and stop again. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense does not suggest a schedule or planned timing.

Common Mistakes

The light stayed on periodically all night.
The light came on periodically all night.
use a repeated event, not a continuous state, when you mean separate moments with gaps.
We clean the filters periodically every Monday.
We clean the filters periodically.
adding 'every Monday' pushes the meaning toward sense 1 with a fixed schedule.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

'Periodically' for sense 1 focuses on actions that come back after similar stretches of time, especially checks, reports, or updates. 'Regularly' is broader: it can mean on a schedule, but it can also simply mean often as a habit, as in 'She regularly walks after dinner.' 'Occasionally' is much less frequent and does not suggest even spacing. 'Intermittently' fits stop-start action better than planned repetition, so it is closer to sense 2 and is common for sounds, signals, or symptoms. 'Continually' means very often or with only short breaks, so it can sound much stronger than 'periodically'. Compare: 'The lab checks the machine periodically' suggests scheduled checks, while 'The machine beeps intermittently' suggests repeated breaks and returns.

periodically ↗regularly ↗occasionally ↗intermittentlycontinually ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • occur periodically
  • happen periodically
  • return periodically
  • appear periodically

Prepositions

  • periodically during
  • periodically throughout

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

This adverb comes from 'periodic' plus the adverb ending '-ally'. 'Periodic' grew from 'period', which came into English through Latin and French from Greek 'periodos', a word for a cycle, circuit, or fixed span of time. Because of that history, 'periodically' keeps the idea of something coming back after a stretch of time.