: in an able and skillful manner : with ability, skill, or proficiency
was ably assisted
This silly comic Christmas romp is ably performed by a cast of 22 actors, led by the high-spirited Danny McBride as the childlike Buddy.Matthew Yde
Last year, she ably completed a half-marathon run with only minimal training.Zachary Lewis

Examples of ably in a Sentence

ably maneuvered the boat up to the dock
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Veteran offseason free-agent addition Jaylon Moore took his place, starting ably for the Chiefs in victories over the Lions and, in last Sunday’s Week 7 matchup, the Las Vegas Raiders. Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2025 In Purdy's absence, Mac Jones, who had been branded as a bust over the previous couple of seasons, has filled in ably. Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025 Comfortable at Versailles, devoted to his grandfather, Temple ably acquitted himself of his duties. Stacy Schiff, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025 That usage scenario would have guaranteed a sync conflict a few years ago, but the service’s cloud synchronization ably fielded it this time. Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ably

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ably was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ably.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ably. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

ably

adverb
ˈā-blē
: in an able manner

More from Merriam-Webster on ably

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