orally

adverb

oral·​ly ˈȯr-ə-lē 

ˈär-

1

: in spoken words : by means of speech

The exam will be given orally.

an orally presented argument

Deaf, signing parents will "babble" to their infants in sign, just as hearing parents do orally; this is how the child learns language …

—Oliver Sacks

2

: by way of the mouth

The medicine can be administered orally.

Another example is amygdalin, which is found in the pits of peaches and apricots. If consumed orally, it is approximately 40 times more toxic than by intravenous injection …

—Des W. Connell

Examples of orally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These are for patients who can’t take medical marijuana orally or ingest it, Najafi said. —Miriam Fauzia, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026

This vaccine is administered orally and has had a relatively high uptake—vaccination rates have hovered between about 70 percent and 75 percent since the 2010s. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 Jan. 2026

It is taken once orally and FDA-approved to treat influenza for all people aged 12 years and older. —Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2025

The federal agency approved Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin) and Blujepa (gepotidacin), which are both taken orally. —Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 30 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for orally

• aurally
• morally
• contributorily
• obligatorily
• discriminatorily
• mandatorily
• statutorily