bodily

1 of 2

adjective

bodi·​ly ˈbä-də-lē How to pronounce bodily (audio)
1
: having a body : physical
2
: of or relating to the body
bodily comfort
bodily organs

bodily

2 of 2

adverb

1
a
: in the flesh
b
: in a manner that involves physically moving someone's body
The blast lifted him bodily into the air.
Jerry Wexler called him a "parasite" and threw him bodily out of his office.Jack Kroll
2
: as a whole : altogether

Examples of bodily in a Sentence

Adjective The victim suffered serious bodily injury. the old man suffered from a number of bodily ailments Adverb The blast lifted him bodily into the air. The house will have to be moved bodily to the new site.
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.
Adjective
Having been taken to Coonabarabran Police Station, Valette was charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a person with intent and affray, which is fighting or the threat of unlawful violence which makes another person fear for their life, per the NSW Police news release. Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025 Jashanpreet, an Indian national who entered the United States illegally in 2022, has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs, causing bodily injury, and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to San Bernardino County records. Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Adverb
Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli is charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025 He was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm while traveling on an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bodily

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Cite this Entry

“Bodily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bodily. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

bodily

1 of 2 adjective
bodi·​ly ˈbäd-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce bodily (audio)
: of or relating to the body : physical

bodily

2 of 2 adverb
1
: in the flesh : by the body
removed them bodily
2
: as a whole : entirely

Medical Definition

bodily

adjective
bodi·​ly ˈbäd-ᵊl-ē How to pronounce bodily (audio)
: of or relating to the body
bodily organs

More from Merriam-Webster on bodily

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