possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpä-sə-blē 

1

: in a possible manner : by any possibility

that's all she could possibly do

2

: by merest chance : perhaps

possibly he will recover

3

: it is possible or imaginable : conceivably

… a political libel which may possibly damage me.

—G. B. Shaw

Synonyms of possibly

• maybe
• perhaps
• probably

Examples of possibly in a Sentence

he may possibly recover after such a serious mistake, but it doesn't seem likely

Recent Examples on the Web

Vote-by-mail ballots and early voting ballots normally are counted first, possibly even before election day, but the results cannot be reported until after the polls close, officials said. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 June 2026

This was already being spoken about as possibly the greatest World Cup campaign any individual had ever produced. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 3 June 2026

Soldiers fired live rounds and hundreds and possibly thousands of people were killed, including dozens of soldiers. —ABC News, 3 June 2026

The local alderwoman said the business was a front for prostitution and possibly human trafficking. —Jermont Terry, CBS News, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing possibly

• where can (someone) (possibly) be

Rhymes for possibly

• impossibly

Kids Definition

possibly

adverb

pos·​si·​bly ˈpäs-ə-blē 

1

: by possible means : by any possibility

that cannot possibly be true

2

: perhaps

may possibly recover