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

Also, encourage creative outlets, such as journaling, drawing, music, or dancing—which allow children to express themselves non-verbally. — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 26 June 2026

According to Spell and members of his congregation, the man had a history of verbally harassing them with threats, insults and racial slurs. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 25 June 2026

For people with disabilities, AI is providing higher quality and faster transcription for the deaf, image descriptions for the blind, and speech generation for those unable to communicate verbally. — Jessica Melugin, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2026

Folsom High School quarterback Brody Rudnicki verbally committed to play for Cal on a full athletic scholarship Wednesday morning. — Ruyuan Li. Summary Produced By Ai Assistance, Sacbee.com, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Rhymes for verbally

• finale
• alley
• alli
• bally
• calli
• challis
• dally
• galley
• galli
• lally
• mallee
• mally