DictionaryAI

frequent

FREE-kwuhnt/ˈfɹiː.kwənt/
As a verbfree-KWENT

Verbfrequents, frequenting, frequented

6 meanings of frequent

Practice

  1. 1
    adjective
    Happening or done many times, again and again.

    Like a bus that keeps coming back again and again all day long.

    She makes frequent trips to the library every week.

    His frequent absences began to worry his teacher.

    Similarregular, repeated, recurrent, common

    Oppositeinfrequent, rare, occasional

    Note
  2. 2
    adjective
    Happening with only short gaps of time in between.

    Like steady drips from a faucet, one soon after another.

    The doctor advised frequent breaks during the long drive.

    Frequent stops along the route made the trip feel slow.

    Similarregular

    Oppositeinfrequent, occasional

    Note
  3. 3
    verbtransitive
    To go to a place often or regularly.

    Like a child who keeps going back to the same playground.

    Tourists frequent the old market every weekend.

    She frequents the same café before work each day.

    Similarhaunt, patronize, visit

    Oppositeavoid

    Note
  4. 4
    adjective
    Always doing a certain thing as a strong habit.

    Like someone who can never put down a bad habit.

    He was a frequent gambler who lost most of his wages.

    A frequent liar, she could no longer be trusted by anyone.

    Similarhabitual, regular, inveterate

    Oppositeoccasional

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 5
    adjectiveobsolete
    Crowded with lots of people or things.

    Like a room so packed with people that you cannot move.

    The market square was frequent with traders and carts.

    'Tis Caesar's will to have a frequent senate.
    1603, Ben[jamin] Jonson, Seianus His FallHere, frequent means full, crowded with people.
    Note
  2. 6
    adjectiveobsolete
    Talked about often by many people.
    'Tis frequent in the city he hath subdued / The Catti and the Daci.
    1626, Philip Massinger, The Roman ActorHere, frequent means commonly said, something people often talk about.
    Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4–6

From Latin frequens, meaning "crowded" or "repeated," which came into English through Old French frequent.

Meaning 3

From Latin frequentare, meaning "to visit often" or "to do often," which came into English through Old French frequenter.