by virtue of

phrase

variants or in virtue of

: through the force of : by authority of

She has the right to participate by virtue of her status as a former employee.

Examples of by virtue of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year’s winner of the race to the top of the draft should be in better shape just by virtue of not being stuck in delusion. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Not to say that children wouldn’t enjoy this cruise, but there were certainly fewer entertainment options than offered on a bigger ship, simply by virtue of more space. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026

The reason the matchups are on track to work out this way is because the White Sox and Houston would be seeded above the Yankees and Red Sox by virtue of being division champions. — ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

The antibody brings the chemo drug to a specific site—a cancer or tumor—by virtue of its interaction with a specific target that the antibody recognizes. — Maggie Donahue, HEALTH, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for by virtue of

• hereinabove
• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove