Meaning & use
regular
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Happening again and again with the same amount of time between each occurrence.
Grammar: Goes before a noun or after be: regular meetings, or The buses are regular.
Patterns
- at regular intervals
- regular visits to someone
She goes for a regular walk after dinner.
Trains to the airport leave at regular intervals.
Regular exercise improves sleep.
adjectivebefore a noun
Normal or standard, not special, unusual, or extra large.
Grammar: Used before a noun to mean ordinary: a regular size, a regular day.
Patterns
- a regular something
I'll have a regular coffee, not a large one.
It was just a regular Tuesday until the power went out.
He's a regular guy who likes fishing and football.
adjectivecomparablemathematics
Evenly shaped or arranged, with parts that match in size or pattern.
Grammar: Describes shapes and patterns: a regular hexagon has equal sides.
A square is a regular polygon because all its sides and angles are equal.
The tiles formed a regular pattern across the floor.
His teeth were small and regular.
adjectivenot comparabletechnical
Following the usual grammatical rules, with no special forms.
Grammar: Used in grammar: a regular verb adds -ed, but an irregular one does not.
Walk is a regular verb, but go is irregular.
Most English plurals are regular and end in -s.
nouncountableinformal
Someone who visits or uses a place, shop, or event very often.
Grammar: A countable noun: she is a regular at the cafe; the regulars gathered.
Patterns
- a regular at somewhere
Tom is a regular at the corner pub.
The barista knew every regular by name.
The show's regulars were thrilled by the news.
Word forms
| comparative | more regular |
|---|---|
| superlative | most regular |
| plural noun | regulars |
Common combinations
- regular basis
- They meet on a regular basis to review progress.
- regular intervals
- Take the tablets at regular intervals throughout the day.
- regular customer
- Regular customers get a small discount.
- regular exercise
- Regular exercise keeps the heart strong.
- regular check-up
- Book a regular check-up with your dentist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- steady
- Steady stresses a constant, unchanging pace, while regular stresses that things recur at predictable times.
- routine
- Routine suggests something done as a habitual part of daily life, often a little dull, whereas regular is more neutral.
- ordinary
- Ordinary means not special at all, and fits the 'normal' sense of regular but never the 'happening at intervals' sense.
- frequent
- Frequent means happening often, but not necessarily at even intervals the way regular events do.
Opposites
Word family
- regularly adverb
- at repeated, predictable times
- regularity noun
- the quality of happening or being arranged evenly
- regulate verb
- to control something by rules or adjustment
- irregular adjective
- not even or not following the usual pattern
- regularize verb
- to make something regular or official
Commonly confused: regular or frequent?
regular vs frequent
Frequent means happening many times. A frequent visitor may come often but erratically, while a regular visitor comes at predictable times.
Practice
The nurse checks his blood pressure at ___ intervals, every four hours without fail.
Choose one answer.
Regular intervals means evenly spaced in time. Frequent intervals would suggest short gaps but not necessarily equal ones, and the other options do not collocate with intervals.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “regular”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.