verbally
adverb
ver·bal·ly
ˈvər-bə-lē 
1
a
: in words : through or by the use of words
Yet it seems whenever somebody writes about him, Sheen gets verbally slugged for not driving around in some beat-up old Chevy.—
Hal Rubenstein
Hal RubensteinIn Chapter 1 … Burge explains verbally, formally, and symbolically the system of notations to be used in the book.—Datamation
Datamation
b
: in spoken rather than written words
In the centuries before the Magna Carta, agreements were made and kept verbally.—Janeen R. Adil
Janeen R. Adil… John's will was not a written will. It was a nuncupative will, which means on his deathbed, John verbally told persons how he wanted his estate divided or dispensed.—Sharon Tate Moody
Sharon Tate Moody… is intended to express, whether verbally or in writing, or in any other way, the real process of thought.—Trewin Copplestone
Trewin CopplestoneAlthough some prospects arrive at these football factories verbally committed to a college, most are still free agents.—Bruce Feldman
Bruce Feldman
c
: with regard to words or language
Lessing has never been an elegant writer. At her better and best, she is cranky, … pleonastic, defensive, and verbally self-indulgent.—Susan Lardner
Susan LardnerSome toddlers walk early and talk late; others are verbally precocious but happily creep and crawl until the middle of the second year.—Susan Ochshorn
Susan Ochshorn2
: as a verb
a noun being used verbally
Examples of verbally in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Calder also said that the owner of the dog verbally agreed to have the dog responsible for the fatal attack put down.
—Chris Spargo, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The Schimmel sisters still throw short-hops to one another, if just verbally.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The scene shocked the world: President Donald Trump inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Oval Office on February 28, only to verbally attack him in front of the media and accuse him of fomenting World War III.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
The passenger threatened the driver verbally, then reached into a bag.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for verbally
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Chris Spargo, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The Schimmel sisters still throw short-hops to one another, if just verbally.
—Evan Drellich, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The scene shocked the world: President Donald Trump inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Oval Office on February 28, only to verbally attack him in front of the media and accuse him of fomenting World War III.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025
The passenger threatened the driver verbally, then reached into a bag.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for verbally
Cite this Entry
“Verbally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verbally. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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