Duly means properly, appropriately, or at the right time, exactly as expected or required. When something happens duly, it happens the way it should.

If you submit your homework on time and your teacher duly records your grade, she's doing exactly what she's supposed to do. When a package arrives and you duly sign for it, you're following the proper procedure. At a ceremony, when someone receives an award they truly earned, you might say they were duly recognized for their achievement.

The word often appears in formal situations or official processes. A student council president might be duly elected after a fair vote. A letter could be duly received and filed. Court documents might state that someone was duly sworn in as a witness, meaning they properly took an oath to tell the truth.

Duly carries a sense of things working as they should, like gears fitting together smoothly. It suggests order, fairness, and completeness. When you finish reading a library book and duly return it on time, you've fulfilled your responsibility. When a winning team is duly celebrated, it’s getting the recognition it deserves.