exactly
adverb
ex·act·ly
ig-ˈzak-(t)lē 
1
a
: in a manner or measure or to a degree or number that strictly conforms to a fact or condition
It's exactly 3 o'clock.
these two pieces are exactly the same size
b
: in every respect : altogether, entirely
That was exactly the right thing to do.
not exactly what I had in mind
2
: quite so
—used to express agreement
"This is not worth the effort." "Exactly!"
Examples of exactly in a Sentence
The levers need to be exactly positioned.
we will meet at exactly six o'clock
Recent Examples on the Web
Authorities were able to track exactly where Arredondo was after a stranger who lives in Mexico left a message about his whereabouts on a GoFundMe page the family had set up to honor Paolos after his death, per the outlets.
—
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
The Bucks did exactly what Antetokounmpo asked, playing the Warriors tough all night and eventually pulling out a win behind a career-high 32 points from Ryan Rollins.
—Eric Nehm, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Season 4 of the series has debuted on Netflix with Hemsworth making a worthy effort to step into Cavill's medieval boots, but viewers may still be wondering what exactly happened, both on-screen and behind-the-scenes, that led us to this version of the show and the character.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
But that is exactly why Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Cervilio Miguel Amador wanted to make this work one of the centerpieces of the 2025-2026 season.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2025
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Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
The Bucks did exactly what Antetokounmpo asked, playing the Warriors tough all night and eventually pulling out a win behind a career-high 32 points from Ryan Rollins.
—Eric Nehm, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Season 4 of the series has debuted on Netflix with Hemsworth making a worthy effort to step into Cavill's medieval boots, but viewers may still be wondering what exactly happened, both on-screen and behind-the-scenes, that led us to this version of the show and the character.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
But that is exactly why Cincinnati Ballet artistic director Cervilio Miguel Amador wanted to make this work one of the centerpieces of the 2025-2026 season.
—David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for exactly
Cite this Entry
“Exactly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exactly. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exactly
adverb
ex·act·ly
ig-ˈzak-(t)lē
1
a
: in an exact manner
do exactly as you're told
b
: so as to match fact or a state
at exactly three o'clock
exactly the same size
c
: in every way : altogether
that was exactly the wrong thing to do
not exactly what I had in mind
2
: quite so : just as you say
—used to express agreement
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