verbally

adverb

ver·​bal·​ly ˈvər-bə-lē 

1

a

: in words : through or by the use of words

Yet it seems whenever somebody writes about him, Sheen gets verbally slugged for not driving around in some beat-up old Chevy.

—Hal Rubenstein

In Chapter 1 … Burge explains verbally, formally, and symbolically the system of notations to be used in the book.

—Datamation

b

: in spoken rather than written words

In the centuries before the Magna Carta, agreements were made and kept verbally.

—Janeen R. Adil

… John's will was not a written will. It was a nuncupative will, which means on his deathbed, John verbally told persons how he wanted his estate divided or dispensed.

—Sharon Tate Moody

… is intended to express, whether verbally or in writing, or in any other way, the real process of thought.

—Trewin Copplestone

Although some prospects arrive at these football factories verbally committed to a college, most are still free agents.

—Bruce Feldman

c

: with regard to words or language

Lessing has never been an elegant writer. At her better and best, she is cranky, … pleonastic, defensive, and verbally self-indulgent.

—Susan Lardner

Some toddlers walk early and talk late; others are verbally precocious but happily creep and crawl until the middle of the second year.

—Susan Ochshorn

2

: as a verb

a noun being used verbally

Examples of verbally in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ashley Bird’s sister described her as a caring friend and loving mother who had been locked in a verbally abusive relationship for years. —Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024

Despite their eagerness to provide mental health care, the current way of collecting information — whether verbally or paper-based — is not sustainable and clearly not working. —Wendy Ward, STAT, 10 Apr. 2024

Last year, senior prosecutor Jung Soon-shin’s appointment as chief of the National Office of Investigation was canceled by President Yoon Suk-yeol after reports emerged that Jung had defended his son when the latter was accused of verbally harassing a high school classmate. —Koh Ewe, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024

According to a Longmont Public Safety release, at 12:32 a.m. Friday police responded to two people verbally and physically fighting in front of 321 Main St. —Nicky Andrews, The Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2024

While it is believed that Schneider was verbally abusive, no accusations have come out against him about physical abuse. —Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2024

Watching members getting verbally ripped apart during the Synanon Game by fellow members of Synanon was hard. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024

Several survivors interviewed for the investigation confirmed previous reports that migrants lacked food and water, were kept locked in an overcrowded cell, and were verbally abused and threatened with deportation, according to the report. —Albinson Linares, NBC News, 22 Mar. 2024

Ruddy verbally reprimanded a host in 2018 for her on-air comments about Qatar, according to two other people who saw the exchange. —Jonathan O'Connell, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1b