orally

adverb

oral·​ly ˈȯr-ə-lē How to pronounce orally (audio)
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
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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

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of orally was in 1608

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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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