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
Oliver Sacks2
: 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
Des W. ConnellExamples of orally in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Humans communicate orally by combining a relatively small number of sounds (or phonemes) to make words, which are combined again to create sentences.
—Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 12 May 2025
Authorities said the body was orally and anally violated.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
Rojas then straddled the corpse’s head and orally raped the body as the late-night R train rumbled through Manhattan, taking breaks when the doors opened to accommodate passengers.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025
Image For Chisholm, a fiddler and composer whose music is strongly influenced by the natural world, an instrument like the Gregg fiddle — along with the Scottish landscape — provides continuity in an evolving tradition that is still largely transmitted orally.
—Corinna Da Fonseca-Wollheim, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for orally
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Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 12 May 2025
Authorities said the body was orally and anally violated.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2025
Rojas then straddled the corpse’s head and orally raped the body as the late-night R train rumbled through Manhattan, taking breaks when the doors opened to accommodate passengers.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2025
Image For Chisholm, a fiddler and composer whose music is strongly influenced by the natural world, an instrument like the Gregg fiddle — along with the Scottish landscape — provides continuity in an evolving tradition that is still largely transmitted orally.
—Corinna Da Fonseca-Wollheim, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for orally
Cite this Entry
“Orally.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orally. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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