physically

adverb

phys·​i·​cal·​ly ˈfi-zi-k(ə-)lē 

1

: in a physical manner : in accord with physical laws

It seemed that such long distance flights would be physically impossible without a highly energy-efficient form of soaring.

—Henri Weimerskirch

2

: in respect to the body

a physically demanding job

Just two weeks before his death, Belushi was physically ejected from an L.A. convenience store at 2 a.m. when he insisted on buying liquor after hours.

—Peter Carlson

I loved it; but I was physically exhausted when I walked out of that studio on Sunday nights …

—Brent Musberger

Examples of physically in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sheriff’s officials said deputies arrived about three minutes after the initial call and found the suspect on the ground being physically restrained by the home’s resident and the caller. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

There are even conveyor belts to ferry folks up steep inclines – which also makes some of China's most beautiful views easier to reach for those less physically able. — New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026

The fingernail-sized device uses a network of light-processing components and an optimisation algorithm to identify and physically separate the underlying coherence modes within a mixed optical field. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026

Its purpose is to prevent attackers who gain control of a device, either physically or through a malware compromise, from running unauthorized boot code in place of legitimate software. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1528, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing physically

• hyper-physically
• physically distance
• physically ill