fatally

adverb

fa·​tal·​ly ˈfā-tᵊl-ē How to pronounce fatally (audio)
1
: in a way determined by fate
2
: in a manner suggesting fate or an act of fate: such as
a
: in a manner resulting in death : mortally
fatally wounded
b
: beyond repair : irrevocably
c
: in a manner resulting in ruin or evil
it is fatally easy to pass off our prejudices as our opinionsW. F. Hambly
d
: in a manner that cannot be easily resisted
thinks she is fatally attractiveJ. W. Krutch

Examples of fatally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Later that same weekend, Miami Beach police said, another person was fatally shot and another injured, prompting city officials to issue a state of emergency and a midnight curfew. Carlos Suarez, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 More:A couple was fatally shot in an Elkhorn bar, police say. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2024 Dunlap said the rival gang member pulled out a gun and returned fire, fatally shooting one of the partygoers who had cornered him. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 The Arizona Department of Public Safety identified a man whom Maricopa Community College police fatally shot on Thursday as 33-year-old Lamar Lindsey. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Allen is the second Independence officer who was fatally shot in the line of duty in recent years. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The men in charge of a tour boat that flipped and fatally trapped a child and woman underneath in New York’s Hudson River were arrested, federal prosecutors said. Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Loren Marino and Austin Amaral, both 24, were found fatally shot in a Haverhill, Mass., home when authorities responded to the residence for a welfare check on Sunday, the Essex District Attorney’s office said in a statement on Tuesday. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Authorities allege Slocum entered the hotel and fatally shot the victim and fled the scene, per the statement. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fatally.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatally was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near fatally

Cite this Entry

“Fatally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatally. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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