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

• 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

Fired for the wrong reason, in 1999, Steve took over quite possibly the worst program in America — San Diego State. —Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025

Brock Purdy is out against the Saints — and possibly beyond — with a form of turf toe. —Dianna Russini, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025

The Lynx also have possibly the best on-ball defender in the league in former Stanford standout DiJonai Carrington coming off the bench. —Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025

At some point, possibly as early as several million years ago, Iberian harvester ant queens lost the ability to produce their own worker ants, which are female. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025

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