actually

adverb

ac·tu·al·ly | \ ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lē

, -sh(ə-w)ə-lē; ˈaksh-lē, ˈaks-\

Definition of actually

1 : in act or in fact : really trying to find out what actually happened won't actually arrive for an hour

2 : in point of fact —used to suggest something unexpected was surprised to learn that she could actually speak German

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Examples of actually in a Sentence

actually, I'd rather spend the evening at home I call her Aunt Emily, but she is actually my cousin, not my aunt.

Recent Examples on the Web

The plot was actually intended to kill British soldiers or police, a UK trial later heard. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, "One of the ISIS 'Beatles' says he's sorry. Will confessions save these fighters from death row?," 10 June 2019 That’s actually trying to make connections to people. — Dalton Ross, EW.com, "Fear the Walking Dead showrunners on the return of Daniel Salazar," 10 June 2019 Karanikolaou and Jenner have actually been friends for a long time, just not on the level of Jenner and her former BFF Jordyn Woods. — Jenna Milliner-waddell, refinery29.com, "Kylie Jenner, A Big Handmaid’s Tale Fan, Threw A Gilead-Themed Birthday Party," 10 June 2019 The Morgan family actually doesn't mind the sight of deer around the neighborhood. — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A deer and dog had a wild encounter in a Wauwatosa backyard," 10 June 2019 Upon completion of the initial investigation, after watching in- store surveillance footage, Officers determined that due to the suspect using force to push past the store manager the call was actually a robbery. — Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire Police Department weekly report," 10 June 2019 Then came the mic drop — actually, a mic handoff — as Randall joined the group of elite runners toeing the starting line. — Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "Dalton and Brennan stage another Run for Women duel, and Kikkan Randall steals the show," 9 June 2019 Paramedics then took Hodges into an ambulance, which her sister says never actually left the airport. — Fox News, "Chicago woman mysteriously dies after flight to Dubai," 9 June 2019 If anything, for a sport so often scrutinized for safety, widespread attention for actually enforcing rules intended for safety was probably a positive thing. — Gentry Estes, The Courier-Journal, "Mark Casse and Bill Mott are the top winners of a wild Triple Crown season," 9 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'actually.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.