regular
Noun pluralregulars
Pluralregulars
- 1Normal and ordinary, just the usual kind you would expect.
Like the plain, everyday kind of something, with nothing special added.
He's just a regular guy who likes baseball and pizza.
We ordered the regular size, not the large one.
UsageOften the plain kind, not the special one: regular or large, regular or decaf.
Similarnormal, ordinary, standard, typical, common
Oppositeweird, outlandish
Note
- 2Happening again and again with the same gap of time between each one.
Like a clock that ticks at the same beat over and over.
The buses come at regular times, about every ten minutes.
She takes regular breaks while she is studying.
UsageOften in at regular intervals (with the same gap each time) or on a regular basis.
Similarperiodic, cyclical, periodical, cyclic
Oppositeirregular
- 3Doing a certain thing or going to a certain place often, as a habit.
My uncle is a regular visitor at the town library.
She was a regular swimmer at the lake every summer.
UsagePut it before words like customer or visitor: a regular customer.
Oppositeoccasional, infrequent
Note
- 4
- 5Someone who often goes to the same place, like a shop, bar or gym.
Like a bird that returns to the same tree every day.
She's a regular at the corner café.
The bartender knew all the regulars by name.
UsageSay a regular at the café.
- 6A person who usually plays for a team or is usually in a show, not just sometimes.
After a strong season, she became a regular in the starting team.
Two of the show's regulars are leaving after this year.
UsageSay a regular in the team or on the show.
- 7
- 8Something that is the normal or standard type.
I don't want the large size, just give me the regular.
These shoes come in wide and regular.
Similarstandard
- 9Belonging to a country's full-time, professional army.
The regular army trains all year, not just in emergencies.
He joined the regular forces after finishing school.
Similarprofessional, standing
Oppositeirregular
Note
- 10Often and at the same times, in a steady and repeated way.
He visits us regular, every single week.
"All we've got to do is stick 'em in the bedroom and feed 'em regular."
1988, Mary Steele, Mallyroot's Pub at Misery PondsHere, regular means regularly, again and again on a schedule.UsageIn school or work writing, say regularly.
Note
Less common meanings
- 11Even and neat, following the same pattern all the way through.
Like a drummer keeping a steady, even beat.
His heartbeat was strong and regular.
The tiles on the kitchen floor are laid in a neat, regular pattern.
- 12Following the normal rules of a language, with no special changes.
The verb 'walk' is regular because you just add -ed.
Most English nouns have a regular plural ending in -s.
Oppositeirregular
Note
- 13In geometry, having all sides the same length and all corners the same size.
A square is a regular shape with four equal sides.
The stop sign is a regular eight-sided figure.
Note
- 14Having bowel movements or periods that come at the same times, as expected.
Eating more fiber helps keep you regular.
The doctor asked whether her periods were regular.
UsageOften said as fiber keeps you regular.
Oppositeirregular
Note
- 15A soldier or police officer who does the job full-time, not part-time or just for a short required period.
The regulars on the force handle the night shifts.
My brother is a regular in the army, not a part-time reservist.
- 16
- 17A coffee that has one cream and one sugar put in it.
My usual order is a medium regular: one cream, one sugar.
A regular has less sugar than a double-double.
Note
- 18Riding a board with your left foot in front.
If you ride regular, your left foot goes in front.
He has a regular stance on his snowboard.
Oppositegoofy
Note
- 19
- 20A member of a religious order, like a monk, nun, or friar, who has taken the three main vows.
Brother Paul is a regular, not a parish priest: he belongs to an order.
The bishop and the regulars of the abbey often argued about money.
- 21Having parts of the same kind that are alike in size and shape.
A buttercup has a regular flower with petals that all look alike.
The blossom was regular, each petal matching the others.
Similarsymmetrical
Oppositeirregular
Note
- 22Calm, orderly, and well-behaved in the way someone lives.
Similardecent, well-mannered, seemly
Oppositeirregular
Note
- 23In advanced math, describing a ring over which every related module is flat.
Note
- 24Describing a moon that circles close to its planet, in the same direction and in a nearly round path.
- 25Belonging to the cubic crystal system, with three axes of equal length meeting at right angles.
- 26In math, describing a way of measuring size that fits closely from both outside and inside a set.
- 27In advanced math, describing a Noetherian local ring whose maximal ideal needs exactly as many generators as its dimension.
- 28In advanced math, describing a shape with no singular points, such as sharp tips or self-crossings, anywhere.
- 29In old calendar math, a number for each year used to find the weekday of the Easter full moon.
- 30A set monthly figure, once used to find the weekday or moon's age when a month starts.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
From Latin rēgula meaning "rule," which came into English through French.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Regular ultimately derives from Latin rēgula, meaning "rule," via Latin rēgulāris. en.wiktionary.org
- Regular entered English through French. en.wiktionary.org