fatally

adverb

fa·tal·ly | \ ˈfā-tᵊl-ē

How to pronounce fatally (audio)

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Definition of fatally

1 : in a way determined by fate

2 : in a manner suggesting fate or an act of fate: such as

a : in a manner resulting in death : mortally fatally wounded

b : beyond repair : irrevocably

c : in a manner resulting in ruin or evil it is fatally easy to pass off our prejudices as our opinions— W. F. Hambly

d : in a manner that cannot be easily resisted thinks she is fatally attractive— J. W. Krutch

Examples of fatally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Brooks, 27, was fatally shot last June by former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe. — Christian Boone, ajc, "Lawyers for Brooks family, college students want special prosecutor," 16 Feb. 2021 The driver of an 18-wheeler fatally shot a man who tried to steal from his truck last week in northwest Dallas, police say. — Tom Steele, Dallas News, "Trucker fatally shot man who tried to steal from his vehicle at northwest Dallas gas station, police say," 15 Feb. 2021 Two people fatally shot in a car in south Minneapolis: Two people were shot dead inside a car Sunday outside a south Minneapolis high school, and police detectives worked into the night to try to track down the suspect. — Matt Delong, Star Tribune, "TALKERS021521," 15 Feb. 2021 The catalyst was the deaths of unarmed Black men — Ahmaud Arbery, fatally shot in Georgia, where three White men have been charged with murder, and George Floyd, who died after a White Minnesota police officer pressed a knee into his neck. — Liz Clarke, BostonGlobe.com, "Bubba Wallace, Michael Jordan, Pitbull leading new, diverse wave in NASCAR," 14 Feb. 2021 Clark County deputies fatally shot Peterson during an undercover drug sting. — oregonlive, "Man shot by Clark County deputy to be taken off life support today, lawyer says," 11 Feb. 2021 And one girl who happened to be in a car with a suspect died from a marshals' task force bullet: Sariah Lane, a 17-year-old high school student who was fatally shot in the back of her head by Pezzelle, according to police reports. — AZCentral.com, "Arizona ranks No. 1 for shootings by US Marshals Service task forces, investigation shows," 11 Feb. 2021 Police on Thursday released the name of a 47-year-old Conway man who was fatally shot outside CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock. — Arkansas Democrat-gazette, Arkansas Online, "Police ID man, 47, fatally shot outside Little Rock hospital," 11 Feb. 2021 Hill, a 47-year-old Black man, was fatally shot on Dec. 22 after two officers responded to a call that a person in a vehicle had been turning the engine on and off. — NBC News, "Bond set at $3M after ex-Ohio officer pleads not guilty in shooting death of Andre Hill," 6 Feb. 2021

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

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Last Updated

22 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Fatally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatally. Accessed 2 Mar. 2021.

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