possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpä-sə-blē 

1

: in a possible manner : by any possibility

that's all she could possibly do

2

: by merest chance : perhaps

possibly he will recover

3

: it is possible or imaginable : conceivably

… a political libel which may possibly damage me.

—G. B. Shaw

Synonyms of possibly

• maybe
• perhaps
• probably

Examples of possibly in a Sentence

he may possibly recover after such a serious mistake, but it doesn't seem likely

Recent Examples on the Web

Going forward, Budd’s race will be one of the most expensive in 2028 and will be a test of whether Democrats can expand their foothold in the South after winning seats in South Carolina and possibly Mississippi. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 11 Nov. 2026

The visitor was there when the service member died, possibly in action. — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026

There, Mary and Martha would brood and suffer; there would be resentment and conflict and a color palette like a bruise; things couldn’t possibly end well, not really, not in the real world. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2026

The typesetter in me loves the Japanese rubber-stamp set ($147), possibly drawn by hand in a serif font similar to Cheltenham Condensed, sold by Wms & Co. — Nicholas Blechman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing possibly

• where can (someone) (possibly) be

Rhymes for possibly

• impossibly

Kids Definition

possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpäs-ə-blē 

1

: by possible means : by any possibility

that cannot possibly be true

2

: perhaps

may possibly recover